Romania: Best and worst outcomes in the Ukraine war aftermath, with Youri Smouter

“On the Barricades” s06e24

This is part one of our two-part monthly release where hosts Boyan and Maria invite Youri Smouter of 1+1 onto the show. The hosts discuss some news in Eastern Europe and in particular Romania, where there was a recent scandal around the academic Sorin Bocancea, previously known for intellectual forgery and involvement in a Romanian version of a Pizzagate, who went on a crusade against Russian propaganda with the publication of a new book.

The second half of the episode is a heated discussion on the question of Romania’s future, given the geopolitical instability due to the war in Ukraine. What would happen if there were a change in the balance of power and NATO were forced to withdraw, leaving a power vacuum to be filled by the far-right? Is a switch of orientation towards Russia possible or likely, given the strong tendencies toward opportunism and social conservatism of the Romanian elites? This brings up the question of what being a part of the collective West has even contributed to Romanian society in terms of tiny advances in womens’ and LGTBQ rights, which it seems could easily be swept away.