Stratfor president: 'To many in Romania, Russia is near and strong, America far and indecisive'

Stratfor president George Friedman, who was on a visit to Romania last week, said in a recent opinion piece that Russia is using its secret services to manipulate the political battle in Romania. “They can use commercial relations to weave networks of influence that are designed to make it costly for Romania to resist the Russians,” according to Friedman. Russians need to undermine the Romanian entente with the United States, and they are skilled at the political maneuvering needed to do that, the analysts goes on. “To many in Romania, Russia is near and strong, America far and indecisive,” he adds. The Stratfor president also mentions Romania’s ties to the US and the recent visit by Vice-President Joe Biden, and goes over Romania’s recent history in his analysis. Stratfor is a geopolitical intelligence and advisory firm founded by George Friedman nearly 20 years ago. Friedman is the author of The New York Times best-seller The Next Decade, which forecasts the major events and challenges that will test America and its presidents over the course of the next decade. He is often featured as an international affairs expert in top international media, as well as speaker at international events. Friedman's full article, titled Borderlands: First Moves in Romania,is here. editor@romania-insider.com