The Status and Recognition of Post-1992 Transnistria

Richard Colbey

Description

The only book in English on the subject. Of topical relevance in the context of the current conflict in Ukraine.

Sujets

• Former Soviet Republics
• Political Science
• HISTORY
• Post-Soviet states
• Geopolitics
• General officer
• History of Europe
• Government
• Eastern
• LAW
• General
• Rory MacLean
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Legend Press
• Date de parution: 17 octobre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781915054319
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

UNIVERSITY OF BUCKINGHAM PRESS
51 Gower Street
London WC1E 6HJ
United Kingdom
www.hero-press.com
Originally published in 2021 as a thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Buckingham
This expanded and revised version first published by University of Buckingham Press in 2022
Richard Colbey, 2022
The right of the above author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data available.
ISBN: 978-1-91505-430-2
All the pictures in this volume are reprinted with permission or presumed to be in the public domain. Every effort has been made to ascertain and acknowledge their copyright status, but any error or oversight will be rectified in subsequent printings.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not be resold, lent, hired out or otherwise circulated without the express prior consent of the publisher.
CONTENTS
PREFACE: THE UKRAINE WAR AND OTHER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Pref. 1 The Ukraine War
Pref.1.1 The Effect of the War on Transnistria
Pref.1.2 Attacks within Transnistria
Pref. 2 The Transnistrian Economy
Pref. 2.1 The Economic Effect of the Ukrainian War on Transnistria
Pref. 2.2 The Sheriff Group
Pref. 3 Political Developments in Transnistria and Moldova
Pref. 3.1 The 2021 Transnistrian Presidential Election
Pref. 3.2 Other Political Developments in Transnsitria
Pref. 3.3 The Change in the Moldovan Government
Pref. 4 The Impact of the Covid-19 Crisis on Transnistria
Pref. 5 Conclusion: Has the Case for Transnistrian Independence Changed Since 2020?
LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS
ABBREVIATIONS
TERMINOLOGY, STYLE AND TIME FRAME
TRANSNISTRIA: A SUMMARY
MAP OF REGION
MAP OF TRANSNISTRIA
INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW
1. The Thesis
1.1 Fieldwork and Methodology
1.2 The Overlapping Issues in Considering Transnistria
2. The Literature Relating to Transnistrian Independence
3. The Questions about Transnistria Itself
3.1 Nationhood
3.2 Economy
3.3 Democracy
3.4 Society
4. The Consideration of Barriers to Transnistrian Independence
5. Conclusion
CHAPTER ONE: TRANSNISTRIA AS A NATION
1.1 The History of Transnistria (and Moldova)
1.1.1 History until the Proclamation of Independence
1.1.2 The War of Independence
1.1.3 Post De Facto Independence
1.2 Identity and Nation-Building Since De Facto Independence
1.2.1 Ethnicity and Identity
1.2.2 Nation-Building Projects
1.2.3 Has the Nation-Building Succeeded?
1.3 What Do Transnistrians (and Moldovans) Think Today?
1.3.1 My Own Ethnographic Research
1.3.2 Other Evidence of What Transnistrians Want
1.3.3 Research in Moldova
1.3.4 The Efficacy of Opinion Research
1.3.5 The Effect of Opinion on the Present Situation
1.4 Conclusion: Is There a Transnistrian Nation?
CHAPTER TWO: TRANSNISTRIA AS AN ECONOMICALLY VIABLE NATION
2.1 The Development of The Transnistrian Economy
2.1.1 The Divergence and Interaction of the Economy with Moldova s
2.1.2 The State of the Economy
2.2 Economic Governance
2.2.1 Taxation
2.2.2 Currency
2.2.3 Cryptocurrency and Mining
2.2.4 Banking and Money Laundering
2.2.5 The Effect of International Isolation
2.3 The Sheriff Group
2.3.1 Sheriff as a Business
2.3.2 Sheriff as a Political Force
2.3.3 FC Sheriff Tiraspol
2.3.4 Sheriff and Independence
2.4 Demography and the Economy
2.4.1 The Population of Transnistria
2.4.2 Migration
2.5 Remittances to Transnistria
2.6 Transnistrian Economic Dependence on Russia
2.6.1 Gas Subsidies
2.6.2 The Significance of Russian Support
2.7 Conclusion: Is Transnistria Economically Viable?
CHAPTER THREE: TRANSNISTRIA AS A FREE, DEMOCRATIC NATION, 129 SUBjECT TO THE RULE OF LAW
3.1 The Transnistrian Constitution and Fundamental Laws
3.1.1 The Constitution
3.1.2 Other Fundamental Laws
3.1.3 The Application of the Constitution
3.2 Electoral Democracy
3.2.1 The Evolution of Democracy
3.2.2 The 2016 Election
3.2.3 The Success of Electoral Democracy
3.3 The Rule of Law and the Justice System
3.3.1 The Judiciary
3.3.2 The Case for a Supra-National Court
3.3.3 Concerns about the Justice System
3.3.4 The Quality of the Justice System
3.4 Imprisonment
3.5 Human Rights and Freedoms
3.5.1 The Relevance of Human Rights to Independence
3.5.2 Concerns about Human Rights
3.5.3 The Quality of Respect for Human Rights
3.6 Media and Censorship
3.6.1 The Meaning of Media and Press Freedom
3.6.2 The Media
3.6.3 Restraints on Media Freedom
3.6.4 Other Restraints on Freedom of Speech
3.6.5 Other Expressions of Dissent
3.6.6 The Prospects for Freedom of Media and Speech
3.7 Religion and Religious Freedom
3.7.1 Religion In The USSR and Russia
3.7.2 Religion Since De Facto Independence
3.7.3 The Extent of Religious Freedom
3.8 Conclusion: Is Transnistria A Free, Democratic Nation, Subject to the Rule of Law?
CHAPTER FOUR: TRANSNISTRIA AS A FUNCTIONING SOCIETY
4.1 Education
4.1.1 Educational Provision
4.1.2 The Romanian-Language Schools
4.2 Healthcare
4.3 Social Security and Protection for Workers
4.3.1 Social Security and Pensions
4.3.2 Minimum Wage and Workers Rights
4.4 Housing
4.5 Policing and Crime
4.5.1 Policing
4.5.2 Crime
4.6 The Transnistrian Environment and Transport
4.6.1 Protecting the Environment
4.6.2 Transport
4.7 Conclusion: Is Transnistria a Functioning Society?
CHAPTER FIVE: HOW CAN TRANSNISTRIA BECOME AN INDEPENDENT STATE?
5.1 The Case for Transnistrian Statehood in International Law
5.1.1 The Meaning of Statehood
5.1.2 Westphalian Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity
5.1.3 The Alteration and Violation of Sovereignty
5.1.4 The Right to Secede in International Law
5.2 Non-Transnistrian Actors
5.2.1 Moldova
5.2.2 Russia
5.2.3 Other Countries
5.2.4 Organisations
5.2.5 The Overall Significance of External Actors
5.3 Situations to Compare With Transnistria s
5.3.1 Kosovo
5.3.2 Other Unrecognised Territories
5.3.3 Gagauzia
5.4 How a Transnistrian State Could Be Created
5.4.1 Recent Divisions of Countries
5.4.2 International Law on Implementing Independence
5.4.3 The Likely Manner of Independence
5.5 How Strong Are the Barriers to Transnistria Fulfilling Its Potential for Statehood?
CONCLUSION: IS TRANSNISTRIAN STATEHOOD THE SOLUTION TO THE PRESENT SITUATION?
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Election Observing (December 2016)
Appendix B: President Smirnov (30 May 2019)
Appendix C: Prison Visit (29 May 2019)
Appendix D: Email from the Moldovan Bureau of Reintegration (10 October 2019)
Appendix E: Banking, Mobile Phones and Non-Prescription Drugs
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Reference List
B. Selection of Other Sources Consulted
C: New References Used for Preface
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INDEX
THE STATUS AND RECOGNITION OF POST-1992 TRANSNISTRIA
PREFACE
THE UKRAINE WAR AND OTHER RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
This work was largely completed by August 2020 (Colbey p.xiv), though some later developments were incorporated, most significantly the election of a new Moldovan president in December 2020. The ways of the academic and publishing worlds mean that the book was not released until October 2022. This Preface explores what has happened to Transnistria in the intervening time and asks whether the conclusion that it would function well as an independent state (Colbey p.226) but is frustrated by political expediency, particularly Russian interests (Colbey p.227), still applies. The material derives from a visit to Tiraspol on 6 and 7 June 2022, my observations there and interviews with Vladimir Yastrebchak, and Natalia Shchukina, who were as generous with their time as they were when I was preparing the main work, as well as analysis of many media reports.
The south-eastern corner of Europe in which Transnistria lies seems a different place than it did when this work was first completed in 2021. The most obvious development is the war in Ukraine. The ultimate premise of this work is that the longer Transnistria thrives as a de facto state the stronger the case for independence becomes (Colbey p.227). That is qualified by a recognition that there are many barriers to independence at the moment, however strong the case for it may be (Colbey p.218), and indeed comparisons are drawn with previous Russian occupations of the Donbass and Crimea (Colbey p.219). These are the factors the Ukraine war may bear on.
The war in Ukraine has had a polarising effect throughout Europe, with nearly all European countries having condemned Russia, which finds only Belarus, virtually a Russian vassal state, supporting it. Moldova, under its already EU-leaning president Maia Sandu, who ousted Igor Dodon, who was far more sympathetic to Russia, in December 2020, unequivocally sides with Ukraine. Even before the Ukraine war, Sandu s government was taking a harder line in opposing Transnistrian independence than did Dodon s, and this may be a factor making the attainment of independence more difficult.
Within Transnistria there have been parliamentary and presidential elections in December 2020 and 2021 respectively, with little changing in consequence. President Krasnoselsky s re-election was with alarmingly little opposition. The territory s highest profile political prisoner, Oleg Horjan, remains in gaol, and at least one other episode of imprisonment for political reasons has been reported. The economy has proved reasonably resilient to the challenges created by the Ukraine war, though inflation and an increase