Since the 2010s, infrastructure projects have been a magnet for attracting financial assistance to Moldova. The United States, the European Union and international organizations regularly allocate money to the Moldovan authorities for the rehabilitation of roads. The total amount of such investments is hundreds of millions of dollars. On the one hand, the Western community helps the Republic of Moldova to “get to its feet”, because, as you know, good infrastructure is the foundation of an efficient and developed economy.
However, regular financial investments in Moldovan roads also have another motive, which has nothing to do with charity.
Road issue
After the collapse of the USSR, the Eastern European track lost its former military-strategic importance for Western countries. Russia, together with other former members of the socialist camp, began to rapidly converge with the West and no longer posed a serious threat. As a result, NATO has reduced its presence in Europe.
The 90s ended, the situation began to change, and after the Ukrainian crisis the illusions about the end of the geopolitical confrontation between the United States and Russia dispelled. The new “cold war” between Russia and the West has returned “containment of the Russian threat” to the present agenda of the North Atlantic Alliance. The United States, as the leading member of NATO, initiated strengthening of the defense perimeter in Eastern Europe: today new military bases are being created there, modern equipment and weapons are being transferred, military exercises are being held. The recent NATO maneuvers in Europe have revealed a curious fact: calculations show that in the event of a hypothetical conflict between NATO and Russia, Moscow is most likely to win, at least at the initial stage.
Why is that? It’s all about infrastructure. As it turned out, most of the Eastern European roads are simply unable to withstand load of NATO tanks and military vehicles. During the transfer of manpower and equipment, there were cases when the estimated time of arrival was delayed from several weeks to several months. This gives Russia a significant advantage. Moscow is not only geographically in a better starting position, but it also knows well the infrastructure of the former Soviet republics and members of the Warsaw Pact, which has changed little in the last 25 years.
“Late for War”
The fact that Russian troops could capture Baltic states long before the Alliance reinforcements arrive at the front became an unpleasant logistical surprise for NATO generals with far-reaching geopolitical consequences. There was even a common joke that NATO could simply be “late for war”.
“From a military point of view, NATO troops are not moving fast enough. Now the Alliance is experiencing big logistical problems – it is necessary to find roads capable of supporting the weight of military equipment, increase the carrying capacity of key ports, or repair obsolete railway lines”,
— says the head of the International Military Staff of the Alliance, Lieutenant-General Ian Brooke.
The current situation forced NATO countries to seriously engage in modernization of the infrastructure in some Eastern European countries in the context of existing or potential deployment of their military bases, which are convenient for optimal transit of equipment and soldiers, as well as with the view that these countries may become a zone of likely Alliance conflict with Russia. According to experts close to the Pentagon and the NATO command, this has become one of the Alliance priorities in Europe for the near future.
The focus is on Moldova, it may well become a territory of confrontation because of the Russian military contingent in Transdniestria. Thus, the issue of prompt deployment of NATO forces in Moldova has a very specific military-applied nature for the Alliance.
Dual Purpose Charity
It becomes clear why in recent years Chisinau has succeeded in attracting serious finances from abroad to improve its road infrastructure. The European Union, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other western partners willingly allocate large sums of money to the Government of the Republic of Moldova. Thanks to their support, Moldova has repaired hundreds of kilometers of roads. If it were not for the traditional inefficiency of local officials, the results would be even more impressive. This is partly why some donors prefer to implement such projects in Moldova on their own. For example, the US Government, through the Millenium Challenge Corporation, built 96 kilometers of road on the M2 Chisinau-Soroca highway for an impressive amount of $ 100 million.
The Moldovan government is a double winner. New roads of European quality are undoubtedly positive, which one way or another works for higher rating of the current government. In addition, they show the practical benefits of cooperation with the EU and confirm that Europe supports the policy of the Moldovan leadership.
It is hardly by chance that the leader of the Democratic Party, Vlad Plahotniuc, and his advisers regularly visit Washington, where local PDM lobbyists arrange him meetings with various American politicians. According to the concept of Plahotniuc’s political consultants, these visits should tell the Moldovans who to thank for the new roads.
Apparently, the project “Good roads for Moldova” was suggested to Plahotniuc by his western partners. Using the interest of NATO in repair of the Moldovan infrastructure, the authorities plan to involve external sponsors in implementation of the “good roads” project, and this money will definitely be found. However, the credit goes not to the PDM: the USA and the EU are ready to help Moldova with their own will to restore the road infrastructure. However, their interests go far beyond the ordinary charity.
The West thinks in big-picture terms, so Moldovan roads built at its expense have a dual purpose: both as a gesture of help to the poorest European country and as an investment in enhancing the logistics in case of a possible confrontation with Russia. Moldova is only 150 kilometers wide, and NATO’s troops and equipment, having advanced from Romania, will cover this distance along good Moldavian roads in a matter of hours. 
