opinion

Both Transnistria and Moldova will benefit if they choose freedom and democracy instead of imposed solutions that the voters have already rejected. And this freedom is the only realistic choice that Moldova has left for Transnistria says regular Tiraspol Times columnist John Moynihan.

Reacting to Washington's mix of double standards and selective bias, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Kosovo's independence was the “beginning of the end of Europe”. In this guest column, Ash Roy evaluates the issues and possible consequences of the new Kosovo precedent in international law.

If you are "with us", you have the right to an independent state. If not, you don't. It is that simple, says Michel Collon in this guest column for The Tiraspol Times & Weekly Review.

The decision to recognize Kosovo's independence has come at a price, says Guardian-columnist Ian Bancroft. In this article, he looks at how its aftereffects are being felt across the former Soviet Union ... including, of course, in Transdniestria (Transnistria, or Pridnestrovie officially).

The United States must be prepared to understand the world “not the way it ought to be, but the way it is,” and existing borders between internationally recognized nation-states are “artificial, arbitrary, and accidental.” These are some of the conclusions of this report by the United States Institute of Peace, a congressionally-funded organization set up to reduce tensions in the world by seeking peaceful solutions to interstate conflicts.

A number of new and emerging countries, including both Pridnestrovie and Western Sahara, have expressed surprise at the willingness of some countries to recognize Kosovo's independence while simultaneously ignoring much better cases for statehood in these other parts of the world. In this guest column, Western Sahara diplomat Hach Ahmed compares his own state's situation with that of Kosovo and discovers a policy of double standards.

There is nothing unique about Kosovo, says Balkan analyst Peter Schwarz. And unlike Transdniestria, who was created before today's Republic of Moldova even existed, the case of Kosovo shows a blatant disregard for international law by major Western powers.

Transdniestria already functions as an independent state, with the assent of the majority of its population. Yet it remains unrecognized. But recognition of Kosovo - with its lesser claim for statehood - will set a new precedent in international law, says columnist Michael Garner.

As Kosovo's is gaining independence, critical voice George Szamuely points out that others - such as Transnistria (Pridnestrovie), South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh - have much stronger grounds for independent statehood.

Critical voices are being raised over the lack of results from Pridnestrovie's Foreign Ministry. Here, guest columnist and external analyst Simon Lewinsky puts the finger on the problem.