The tortoise and the hare
Neither of the south-eastern pair of ex-communist countries is prosperous or civic-minded, but recently the Bulgarians have shown signs of improvement
SINCE the Kosovo war began, Bulgaria and Romania have played host to a stream of grand western politicians, all dutifully thanking them for helping NATO to pound Serbia into submission. For the Bulgarians and Romanians, both left out when the alliance signed up three Central European countries (Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary) barely a week before the bombing of Serbia began, such attention from the West is a novelty. Will it make a difference?
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The tortoise and the hare”
From the August 7th 1999 edition
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Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
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Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare
A rise in antisemitism puts Europe’s liberal values to the test
The return of Europe’s oldest scourge
Once dominant, Germany is now desperate
As an election looms its business model is breaking down