WikiLeaks Cablegate Hits Romania
WikiLeaks (aztecul.wordpress.com)
The international scandal generated by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, who published tens of thousands of diplomatic cables of the United States ambassadors all over the world hits Romania, a country in Eastern Europe, member of the European Union and NATO, providing with food for thought the constituents, who have a pretty good chance now to see what goes behind curtains in the decision-making process of the country, and heavy weaponry to all the political parties involved.
What sets Romania apart in this case is the fact that WikiLeaks’s shock was perceived in Romania somewhat different from the other countries that became subject to the embarrassing disclosures.
When WikiLeaks first emerged, it hit the United States hard, calling into question the reliability of its diplomatic services.
Hillary Clinton had to apologize to the world, and promise provisions would be taken so that such situations may never repeat again.
Many leaders around the world expressed outrage, others dismissed the truths revealed, while some were unmoved by what the leaks were saying about their country.
There were political consequences in some of the countries, not too high though, given that many of these revelations are mere gossip about the indigenous high-life or political and economic circles.
Romanian President and Minister Udrea (churry-burry.ro)
Romania is different, because WikiLeaks came to this country at almost half a year after the scandal broke out forcing Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, into exile and subsequently into fighting against extradition.
After a cable release about the ways the case of Romanian rock star Theo Peter was defended in the American courts, where accusations of murder of the rock singer by a U.S. embassy employee were made, went almost unnoticed, the first WikiLeaks cable revealed these days in Romanian media was a gossip about the personal life of president of Romania Traian Basescu, whose support rate is of 9% in the country, and of some of the ministers of the Romanian government.
Thus, Elena Udrea, a very influential and controversial minister in the Romanian government, was described in one of the leaks as a “saucy person,” along with a hint that she might have been romantically involved with the president.
A few days after this release, other revelations were made, very conveniently, in the press via WikiLeaks, showing that those who facilitated them the publication in the Romanian media were interested in staining the Romanian opposition, which by now is enjoying some 60% of population support.
An old accusation resurfaced, linking important leaders of the opposition to the commercial interests of Russian tycoons, which in Romania bares some national significance, given that people deem cooperation with Russians as bad, while the one with the West as good, in spite of the fact that the West itself is heavily cooperating with Russia.
As the WikiLeaks kept coming, other details of the Romanian politics were made public: that the president of Romania threatened opposition leaders to allow justice prosecute them for the crimes they had committed (something rather usual in this part of the world); that an opposition leader supported the president against his own party’s interests; that the Romanian government is seen by the embassy of the United States in Bucharest as a “lame duck” and a “beggar,” incapable of applying any economic policy, and so on.
However, even though it would appear that the WikiLeaks has become a political tool in the hands of the Romanian political parties, the population seems little interested about this kind of revelation, being more preoccupied with survival one of the poorest countries in Europe.
