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1 1 (January 2018)

handle is hein.amenin/aeiaaeh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Key Points * Given Moldova's complicated history, divided identity, and meager defense capabilities, the country is extremely vulnerable to Russian intervention. * The Russia n-su pported separatist enclave of Transnistria has threatened Moldova's stability since the country's independence in 1992, and Transnistrian and Russian forces in the region pose serious security risks. Ironically, an outright military intervention is unlikely because Russia can use several nonmilitary tools to influence political developments in the country more covertly. Throughout its history Moldova has been a geo- political playground for larger actors in the region, and its newly acquired independence does not appear to have changed this. As many imperial powers do, Russia consistently undermines the sovereignty of independent countries it perceives to be in its sphere of influence. In Moldova's case, Exhibit A is Moscow's support for the separatist regime in Transnistria before, during, and after the full-scale war that erupted on March z, 1992, the day the Republic of Moldova was accepted into the United Nations as a member. That tragic event haunts Moldova to this day, as Russia has entrenched itself in the region despite commitments at the 1999 Istanbul Summit of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe to withdraw its military presence from Moldova's Transnistrian region. Due to Moldova's meager defense budget,, which rests on the pretense of military neutrality, the country cannot possibly withstand Russia's hybrid warfare tactics, let alone a full-scale Russian military intervention. Considering the country's declared constitutional neutrality, Moldova's options for bolstering its defense are severely limited. Thus, Moldova's bilateral military cooperation agreement with Romania, signed in 2012, covers only personnel training and military infrastructure cooperation.2 Nevertheless, Moldova benefits from assistance under the aegis of the EU's Common Defense and Security Policy: It was the first country where the EU deployed a security sector reform adviser to guide the implementation of a national security strategy, help develop national capacities, and facilitate Moldova's participation in international missions and operations. Further security and defense cooperation with the EU is vital to advancing the country's goal of political integration with the EU. Of course, given the EU's own shortcomings in defense against a powerful actor such as Russia, the only effective structure in this regard would be NATO. Moldova's relationship with NATO is currently based on an Individual Partnership Action Plan for 2017-19.3 It stipulates Moldova's interest in developing further cooperation with AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE

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