What the Americans Discovered in Romania

If you, too, are wondering what made the Americans drop by — the president in Poland and the vice president in Romania, perfectly timed with the EU Parliament election campaign — the answer is the crisis in Ukraine.

On the first day of his visit to Bucharest, Washington’s number two, Joe Biden, said that the United States has a “sacred obligation” to support both us and NATO. In conclusion, we can “count” on the Americans.

It looks like an offer we can’t refuse, in the midst of growing Russian uncertainty, even for those who, with their eyes closed, don’t see Putin as an enemy of Western civilization and the EU already frozen while figuring out what more effective sanctions to take against Russia. Biden’s decision to militarily strengthen Romanian territory can be interpreted as the Zero Hour of a new border between the East and the West.

Put bluntly, America’s decision to increase its presence in Poland and Romania means drawing a line between the “civilization” of the democratic West and the “savagery” of the East, a lawless and godless land. Hence the traditional American speech about the fight against corruption and strengthening the rule of law, a speech that in the last few months has been repeated over and over again and outlined as an priority, essential to moving forward. The only problem with such a speech is its translation into Romanian; everyone will end up understanding something different about how the great moral reform of society should happen.

It’s true, however, that on the first day of his visit, Biden didn’t address the things we still need to do to evolve; instead he expressed his solidarity and gratitude for a dependable ally — a diplomacy that the great powers in Europe have either lost or are incapable of showing. The prospect of Romania, along with Poland, becoming a military base capable of withstanding threats coming from the East is already part of the “New Cold War,” a concept which has been spread in both Washington and Moscow and which represents the only way the world leaders seem capable of acting.

Still, what could the Americans have discovered in Romania that they consider it a “sacred obligation” to stand by us? It could be business opportunities, such as Chevron, or it could be the geostrategic interest in building a buffer zone that could withstand Putin’s assaults and prevent Ukraine’s disintegration from affecting the West too much.

Finally, because the political parties in Bucharest have no problem with their geopolitical orientation, their only issue with Biden visiting during mid-campaign is who will suck up to him the best to become “the chosen one.” Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has outdone himself with this opportunity, going live from Romanian TV straight to CNN just to say that when it comes to Putin, “We have to be cautious and expect the worst.”

In the meantime, it’s good the Americans came. They’re going to help us be better, so that apart from building military bases, they can drill a few shale gas exploration bores.