US Baldly Backs A Judicial Coup In Romania

While Trump was in Paris and Biden, I suppose, in limbo, the State Department backed the elite coup against democracy in Bucharest. First, on December 1, the State Department issued a congratulation in Secretary of State Antony Blinken's name-it's Independence Day in Romania.

Blinken approves of the way Romania obediently follows Washington's lead on the disastrous Ukraine war, which is much more dangerous for Romanians than liberal elites in America. No electoral drama at this point.

Then, on December 4, the State Department issued a statement warning of foreign influence in Romanian elections and the dangers to Romania's Western progress. This explicitly echoed the Romanian deep state's (CSAT, Supreme Council for National Defense) dark allegations, without evidence or precedent, casting suspicion on the elections. Again, very importantly-only the presidential election was
declared to be suspicious; no allegations that the later legislative elections had also been corrupted by Russia.

Finally, on December 6, after the Constitutional Court acted on the excuse provided by the deep state, another State Department statement briefly congratulated Romanian elites for the coup, citing“malign foreign influence!”

The speed of the reactions and the near simultaneity of Washington's declarations following actions in Bucharest on December 4 and 6 suggest the possibility of a coordinated coup. But it's also just a flunky in the State Department, a spokesman posting about very grave matters on X.

The EU seems to be following suit, though it's not yet clear how involved in the coup any European power is. Ursula von der Leyen posted on X her approval and support, citing a call with the outgoing Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who has decided that he will not be going out when his term expires.

(The Constitutional Court immediately reacted by backing this further outrage against the constitutional order.) That's a public statement by the highest EU official, but citing worries about“foreign influence” isn't quite official EU policy.

So there's a remarkable vagueness about decisive public action attacking democracy. The Party of European Socialists is so far the only EU organization to congratulate Romania on the coup. Since it makes up a third of the European Commission and a sixth of the European Parliament and European Council, it's quite important. But it's also just a Facebook post.

Lesser powers have taken the same attitude through congratulations on X without issuing official statements. That includes Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Radek Sikorski, representing the most bellicose country in Europe.

So also Italian Vice-Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tejani, speaking for the current presidency in the G7. A spokesperson for the French Embassy in Bucharest did likewise.

The diplomatic silence about a judicial coup is a greater shock still. The absence of statements from heads of government or heads of state shows a certain reluctance to condemn the overthrow of democracy in what is supposedly a fellow NATO and EU member state.

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Hence the informality of using social media, the bureaucratic language deferring to the EU Digital Security Act and the rote reference to Russian interference in addressing the coup.

Outright coups are a surprise in the EU. Usually, there are other mechanisms to overthrow governments, force a redo of elections, or corrupt the democratic process in order to impose the EU Constitution as the Treaty of Lisbon.

Italy, Ireland and Greece have all been through it in the 21st century and now apparently it's Romania's turn. It is rather more crass this time around, but American and European power is weakening and elites are losing control-so they grow desperate and do desperate things. Reality is dawning on us all, without any promise of relief.

Meanwhile, populism is rising. NATO's eastern flank is turning against the disastrous Ukraine war. Viktor Orban in Hungary and Robert Fico in Slovakia are both pro-peace. Romania would have added to that gathering chorus.

Austria might do the same now that elections produced a turn to the right. Germany might be next at federal elections due in 2025. And the bellicose English and French governments have been crippled by domestic crises and populist uprisings. We should all prepare for a dangerous decade to come.

Titus Techera is the executive director of the American Cinema Foundation and a cultural critic. He has written essays for National Review, The Federalist, The University Bookman and Modern Age.

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