Secret Nation

The BBC's Simon Reeve visits Trans-Dniester, a nation that broke away from Moldova more than decade ago but does not enjoy international recognition. Entering it, he writes, is "a bit like entering a Soviet Union theme park," thanks to the Bolshevist iconography that still decorates its public spaces; the country is run by "a mysterious firm called Sheriff," and one of its chief industries is smuggling.

Moldova sounds like a nice place, by the way:

Vladimir Voronin, the friendly president of Moldova, told me Trans-Dniester was a "black hole" for arms trafficking.

"There's uncontrolled migration, contraband, arms trafficking, the trafficking of human beings and drugs," he said.

"There are 13 enterprises in Trans-Dniester that are producing arms non-stop."

After talking, President Voronin opened a bottle of cognac and insisted I have a glass. We were finishing our second bottle when his wife returned with the weekly shopping.

Comments

[thoreau]

"There's uncontrolled migration, contraband, arms trafficking, the trafficking of human beings and drugs," he said.

"There are 13 enterprises in Trans-Dniester that are producing arms non-stop."

Well, with the guns and drugs it sounds like a fun place to have a bachelor party!

[xray]

Open borders too! But what's contraband besides drugs and guns?

[thoreau]

And I'm sure they could hook you up with some sexy Russian models for the bachelor party. And who doesn't like Eastern European chicks?

Really, this Trans-Dniester is sounding more and more like the ultimate bachelor party destination. If my brother ever gets married I'll plan a bachelor party in Trans-Dniester.

[thoreau]

Hey, maybe we could all go there before Mo's wedding with the 300 Arabs and libertarians in attendance!

Imagine the FBI's response when they find out that a bunch of the attendees just returned from a weekend in a haven for arms smuggler!

[Solyom]

Fuck the Moldovans. They are oppressing, my peeps, the Csango.

[crimethink]

Careful NH, the Free Staters are looking seriously at Trans-Dniestr now...

But what's contraband besides drugs and guns?

Pirated DVDs? Nailclippers? Bags of flowers and dirt?

[xray]

crimethink: I think you nailed it with the, uh, clippers. At CDG airport in Paris, they have a display case of endangered species stuff they've seized. At Heathrow there is a nice transparent container full of nail clippers and plastic razors.

[Anonymous]

Paging Mr Ruthless, Paging Mr Ruthless, you're country has arrived....

[Lowdog]

This place sounds like somewhere I'd love to visit. I can buy my foreign "wife" over there, a bunch of automatic weapons, some drugs, and just live the life. Course, I'd have to find a way to smuggle it all back here to the US, but I'd find a way!

On the topic of nail clippers and plastic razors being confiscated...WTF??? Does anybody seriously think that a plane will get hijacked with either of those instruments? Give me a break.

But of course, it must look like the gov't is doing something!! They have to justify all of our stolen money their spending on "security" somehow, eh?

[rob]

I can't wait for the day a terrorist tries to hijack a plane with a pair of nail clippers, that happens to be the flight I and the bachelor party I'm with are taking to Trans-Dniester.

They think the folks on Flight 93 were a tough bunch, wait'll they get a load of the folks on my flight!

http://www.september11news.com/Flight93.htm

[Christopher W.]

The most interesting comment in the article to me was ... in many ways Trans-Dniester appeared wealthier.
A whole nation that just keeps it's head down and does it.

[panurge]

From the way it was described by Mr. Walker, it all sounds like the plot to a satirical novel by Vladimir Nabokov.

[David T]

Freedom House rates it as "not free":

http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2005/terr2005.pdf

[xray]

I bet they have lousy patent protection.

[TM Lutas]

Trans-Dniestr exists as a separate entity because Russia has a bunch of soldiers illegally keeping the government of Moldova out. Moldova is mostly agricultural with most of its industry concentrated in Trans-Dniestr. The observation that industrialized urban areas tend to be wealthier than agricultural/pastoral zones doesn't say much about comparative competence of governments (both of which, in this case, are pretty bad) but rather that the industrial revolution was a great leap in wealth creation for humanity.

The troops will leave from Trans-Dniestr, South Ossetia, and all of the rest of the leftover imperial outposts in the CIS. I'm not quite sure I understand why agitprop for totalitarianism seems to be so popular for the Hit and Run regulars but it's certainly unattractive.

[ed]

"There's uncontrolled migration, contraband, arms trafficking, the trafficking of human beings and drugs," he said.

Yep, that's Miami all right.

[James B.]

Well this thread has probably died, so I am afraid I won't get an answer to this. In the BBC article the writer says there a couple of dozen of these shadow countries. Next up is Taiwan. I can imagine that Gaza and the West Bank are on the list. Maybe Sealand, too. Of the part of Yellowstone Par in Idaho. 🙂 Any ideas what other "countries" could be on this list?