Crises in Romania Spark Autocratic Desires

With rampant disinformation, a rise in public distrust in government, skyrocketing inflation and an underdeveloped civil society, Romania is struggling with numerous issues simultaneously. There are opportunities through the recently opened Euro-Atlantic Resilience Centre and next year will see Romania take over the 3SI presidency, but the question is will this be enough or will the country look for answers in autocracy to feel secure once again?

What was once one of the staunchest supporters of the West in Eastern Europe, a former Soviet-owned enclave where Russia’s influence still echoes, Romania seems to be following an unpredictable path, away from democratic values, as the collective psyche moves closer towards the illusionary stability of autocratic regimes.

Globsec’s 2022 Trends Report stated that an alarming 22 per cent of respondents in Romania believe that Russia had the right to invade Ukraine and 26 per cent think that the West was responsible for the war by provoking Russia.

As far as security threats are concerned, Romanians give the benefit of the doubt to Beijing, with 73 per cent not recognising China as a security threat to their country. This represents a 37-percentage point increase compared to 2020 – 51 per cent “did not know” or were undecided at that time. Additionally, 12 per cent were unsure how the country should be geopolitically positioned.