Selective Irredentism: Greater Romania, Transylvania and the Populist Radical Right

Hungary and Hungarians have long been a target of ire for Romanian populists. Following 1989, Funar, Becali, Vadim Tudor and Diaconescu all heavily utilised anti-Hungarian rhetoric. Funar’s PUNR in particularly weaponised this, presenting itself as a barrier to Hungarian separatism in Transylvania. This continues to be present in the rhetoric of AUR and George Simion, showing opposition to Hungarian language and minority rights. However, when looking further east to Ukraine and Moldova, Diana Sosoaca, George Simion, and Calin Georgescu have all suggested that historical territories should be returned - notably North Bukovina, now part of Ukraine. Similar opposition has been voiced to language and religious policies, including calling for Romanian language acceptance. Coming at a time in which Ukraine is under invasion from Russia, this irony is of note - Romanian populists are irredentists, yet they call for others to accept historical drawing of borders. Using content analysis methods, I will show how this contradiction is present in the foreign policy of Georgescu, Sosoaca and Simion, and is emblematic of their wider foreign policy perspectives including on Russia, NATO and the EU.