caption id=attachment_22919 align=aligncenter width=500
Ambassador James Rosapepe/caption
James Carew Rosapepe was born on May 20 1951 in Rome Italy. He is the son of two freelance journalists. He grew up in New York before moving to the Washington area in the late 1960s. Rosapepe attended Yale University as an undergraduate
student.
He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates (1987-1997). Then he was appointed as Ambassador to Romania during the Bill Clinton administration and ended his mandate during the George W. Bush administration (1998-2001). An internal State Department
report was strongly critical of Rosapepes leadership and management during his ambassadorial service while crediting him with several accomplishments.
Upon his recall from Romania Rosapepe was appointed to serve on the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland. He left the board to run against incumbent Senator John Gianetti in District 21 whom he defeated in the 2006 election for Maryland State Senator in District 21. He was unopposed in the 2010 and 2014 elections. Maryland State Senator Rosapepe (2007 to present) currently sits on the Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee and serves as a Deputy Majority Whip.
I have known Ambassador Rosapepe since the summer of 1999 during the
Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC when the festival hosted programs on New Hampshire Romania and South Africa. I also remember the fact that during Ambassador Rosapepes mandate in Bucharest I started to receive at home the U.S. Embassy in Romania informative bulletins the first initiative of its kind to connect people on the embassy mailing list.
During the period of October 3 and 4 2019 James Rosapepe attended as a Board Chair the annual
ALIANŢA/The Alliance Gala in Washington DC at the Conrad Hotel and the Romanian Embassy respectively.
With that occasion on October 3 2019 Ambassador Rosapepe granted me an exclusive interview.
1. Mr. Ambassador James Rosapepe you served as a U.S. Ambassador to Romania in the past. How would you characterize the year of 2019 for Romania and Romanians?
Well I am not living in Romania right now. So I am not the one to judge. Its for Romanians to judge. Obviously you are having an election campaign going on the Romanian presidential election of November 2019. And this is a very competitive election and thats what democracy is all about. So I am always enthusiastic about Romanian democracy and it seems to be going strong
2. Thank you so much Mr. Ambassador. How would you characterize in short the U.S. relations with Romania during the current administrations Trump and Iohannis?
My impression is they are good. I think both the U.S. administration and the Romanian administration have worked hard to stay strong and keep the strategic alliance together.
3. Thank you so much Mr. Ambassador. Last question: what challenges will Romania face in the future in your opinion?
I think the challenge is in everyone. In running the world faces with climate change. Weather is every way. So we are all facing challenges of climate change. Obviously as a member of NATO next to Ukraine across the Black Sea from Russia Romania has security concerns that make its NATO alliance and partnership the strategic partnership with the United States as important as ever. And thats what ALIANŢA is about. Its maintaining that strong people-to-people relationship between Americans and Romanians.
4. Thank you so much Mr. Ambassador. You were very kind.
Thank you.
(October 08 2019)
TIBERIU DIANU has published several books and a host of articles in law politics and post-communist societies. He currently lives and works in Washington DC and can be followed on MEDIUM.
*****
