Honestly, who in their right mind would want to join the most unhappy country in the world?
In a book review, The Economist refers to Moldova as a place
where new political freedoms are undercut by general mistrust, nepotism, corruption and envy.
(no other ex-Soviet republics are mentioned in the original book, although the reviewer from The Economist - no doubt Edward Lucas - tries to make it sound that way).
And AOL has this to say …
the former Soviet republic Moldova, where poverty and distrust drown out any speck of happiness
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that journalist Eric Weiner visited Moldova and that…
he finds absolutely no one in Moldova who likes it there.
Moldova is miserable. Sure, Transdniestria has its problems. But it is infinitely better off on its own than being part of the mess called Moldova.
ok I see there is comment censorship going on over here, usually reader participation is encouraged by blogs. But it seems that purpose of this blog is one sided proliferation of half truths. Sure government is corrupt in Moldova, but so is the government of any former soviet republic/federation, and please do not tell me that “Prednestrovie” is any different. Take a look at the wikipedia article on “Prednestrovie”. Anyways, let me know when the comments are turned on.
Anonymous
January 18th, 2008
Hi, I am Carl (the owner of the blog). Thanks for your comment. There is no comment censorship and comments are certainly turned on for all posts … so feel free to chip in.
You are wrong about the purpose of the blog. We need to shed some light on what is going on in both Transdniestria and Moldova, and half truths have no place here. So please help out with posts or comments if you have a sincere interest in improving the understanding of the situation in the region. Thanks!
carl
January 19th, 2008
Carl, you want to tell me that the situation in Transdniestria is any better than in Moldova? Please…
If Transdniestria was a legitimate country, it might have been ranked on its own but as it’s not, its ranking is being aggregated with that of Moldova.
I agree with the first commenter that if you wanted to have an honest conversation happening on this blog, at least try to pretend to be objective. Your opening sentence “Honestly, who in their right mind would want to join the most unhappy country in the world?” describes the real purpose of this blog nicely…
anon
January 20th, 2008
Yes, that is my own opinion: I most certainly believe that yes indeed, the situation in Transdniestria is better than in Moldova. Your mileage may vary. But I have been to both places frequently, and on the basis of that I have formed by own opinion. You should go too. It helps to visit often and to talk to the locals on both sides. If you don’t have a clear first-hand picture of the REAL situation in Transdniestria, it is easy to get confused and think that life in Moldova is better. But it is not.
And I ask again: Honestly, who in their right mind would want to join the most unhappy country in the world? I know that, given a choice, I would prefer to join a happy country … rather than an unhappy one. And according to the Rotterdam index (a scientific and often-referenced study) Moldova is officially the most unhappy country in the world.
carl
January 20th, 2008
[…] His findings also reveal Moldova to be the world’s most unhappy country. The Moldovans become happy if Transdniestria fails. It brings them pleasure to see other people suffer. More background info here and here. […]
Deciphering Transdniestria » Blog Archive » Sadism as foreign policy in Moldova
February 16th, 2008
[…] Since then, Moldova has tried hard to drag Transdniestria into its orbit and rule over the Transdniestrians. Wisely, the good people of Transdniestria have rejected all overtures. Now, happiness researcher Eric Weiner has a new article in Foreign Policy which makes it clear why it would be nuts for anyone to want to become part of Moldova: To travel to Moldova is to travel to a land submerged in a deep and persistent pool of despair. Faces are sullen and drawn. Everyone moves about listlessly, doing the Moldovan Shuffle. A cloud of despondency hangs in the air, every bit as real, and toxic, as the smog in Los Angeles or the coal dust in Linfen, China. […]
Deciphering Transdniestria » Blog Archive » Moldova: No one in the right mind will want to be part of THIS
February 20th, 2008
[…] More here, here, here, here and here… […]
Deciphering Transdniestria » Blog Archive » Unhappy Moldova
March 8th, 2008