From “Original Democracy” to Euro-Atlantic Integration: Foreign Policy Issues during the Romanian Presidential Campaigns (1990–2004)

Abstract

Abstract The article analyzes from a diachronic point of view the way in which foreign policy issues evolved during the presidential elections in post-communist Romania. In this chronological demarcation, the author opted to start with 1990, when Ion Iliescu,the first president after the revolution, promoted a form of isolation of the country, proposing a local model of democracy building, and to end with 2004, when the NATO and European Union (EU) accession became realities assumed by all political parties. During this 14-year period, the presidential election was the type of vote that caught most people’s attention, and foreign policy gradually found its place among the topics of interest, along with economic reform and the fight against corruption. Romania’s exit from the “grey zone” was slow and involved several stages, such as the abandonment of the conservative discourse of Ion Iliescu and its replacement with a Euro-enthusiast one, the assumption by political parties of the “spirit of Snagov,” and the reconciliation with neighboring states. The main primary sources of the study are electoral programs, debate shows, and especially articles from the press of the time, such as Adevărul, România liberă, Evenimentul zilei, Ziua, România Mare, and so on.