Back on February 19th, 2021 I hit “send” on the first Moldova Matters Weekly Roundup. That article now feels dated in both substance and structure. The big issues of the day were a brewing constitutional crisis following the 2020 presidential elections… and COVID which was continuing to ravage the country and the world.
While that constitutional crisis was resolved over the spring of 2021 and COVID eventually stopped featuring in the newsletter at the start of the war, Moldova has rolled through a sort of evolving permacrisis since then. I won’t dive back into this as I’ve recently updated the about page for the newsletter and written an article titled “So who writes this anyhow?” that both look through that story. But suffice to say it’s been a long strange trip over the last 3 years. This is especially true as the one year anniversary of the newsletter occurred in the same week as Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine. I’ll be writing a retrospective in the coming days on the reality of these last two years of war as seen and felt from Moldova.
Through this journey I have been, and continue to be, amazed at the kind words, constructive feedback and detailed questions I get from readers. My plan is that 2024 will be a year of growth and changes for Moldova Matters. Particularly, hope to bring some new perspectives and voices to what will be a fascinating and fraught election year.
None of this would be possible without your support. Your support, especially those who have generously chosen to become paid subscribers, is critical to helping me keep Moldova Matters going.
For that I want to say thank you.
Here’s to another 3 years bringing you updates from Moldova and why it Matters.
David Smith
Really appreciate your work. Couldn't get this kind of English language reporting anywhere else.
Congratulations, David, on three years of this engaging must-read.