• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Matthew Rojansky",
    "Igor Munteanu",
    "William Hill"
  ],
  "type": "commentary",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Eastern Europe",
    "Moldova"
  ],
  "topics": []
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

Commentary

Moldova: The Growing Pains of Democracy

Prolonged political stalemate in Moldova raises questions about the country’s ability to stay the course of reform despite the lack of immediate and gratifying results.

Link Copied
By Matthew Rojansky, Igor Munteanu, William Hill
Published on Jan 31, 2012
Program mobile hero image

Program

Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

Learn More

Prolonged political stalemate in Moldova raises questions about the country’s ability to stay the course of reform despite the lack of immediate and gratifying results. At the same time, December’s election of Yevgeny Shevchuk—a new and younger face in Transnistria—has again raised hopes for normalization of the decades-old conflict with the breakaway region. Is Moldova’s political deadlock proof that the democratic process is working or evidence of a failing system? Is Russia losing the ability to impose its own flagging brand of “sovereign democracy” in nearby separatist enclaves? What can the United States do to encourage Moldova’s slow, but steady progress toward greater implementation of Helsinki commitments?

About the Authors

Matthew Rojansky

Former Deputy Director, Russia and Eurasia Program

Rojansky, formerly executive director of the Partnership for a Secure America, is an expert on U.S. and Russian national security and nuclear-weapon policies.

Igor Munteanu

William Hill

Authors

Matthew Rojansky
Former Deputy Director, Russia and Eurasia Program
Matthew Rojansky
Igor Munteanu
William Hill
Eastern EuropeMoldova

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Europe flags citizens demonstration
    Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    EU Enlargement Forgets Europeans

    Preparing candidate countries for EU membership is no longer enough. As the enlargement process becomes a reality, the union must also prepare its own societies.

      Iliriana Gjoni

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    As Trump Threatens to Quit NATO, the Baltic States Are Playing for Time

    Governments in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania want to ensure that a U.S. military withdrawal would not leave them dangerously exposed to a Russian attack.

      Sergejs Potapkins

  • Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk attend a press conference at the Mariinskyi Palace in Kyiv on February 5, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
    Article
    Kindred Nations, Uneasy Neighbors: Polish-Ukrainian Relations in the Crucible of Russia’s War

    The full-scale invasion cemented Ukraine’s determination to sever its ties with Russia; reimagining the Poland-Ukraine partnership can accelerate Kyiv’s westward alignment and improve the security of both countries.

      Eric Green

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Moldova Floats a New Approach to Its Transnistria Conundrum

    Moldova’s reintegration plan was drawn up to demonstrate to Brussels that Chișinău is serious about the Transnistria issue—and to get the West to react.

      Vladimir Solovyov

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Global Instability Makes Europe More Attractive, Not Less

    Europe isn’t as weak in the new geopolitics of power as many would believe. But to leverage its assets and claim a sphere of influence, Brussels must stop undercutting itself.

      Dimitar Bechev

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.