Analysis by János T. Barabás.
fter more than 25 years of independence, the Republic of Moldova is in the trap of weak state institutions and corruption, as a victim of a geopolitical struggle that the Great Powers do not consider to be a priority. In the context of system-level corruption interest groups have a major influence on government decision-making, this complex relationship is referred to as a trapped state. At the same time, the situation is not hopeless, as some foreign political factors suggest, because the country’s economy has successfully moved to Western relations and as an EUassociated member has an effective modernisation program. In my analysis I try to explain domestic politics through the relationship of political-economic interest groups and to outline the regional processes that influence Moldova. The interaction between these two often unpredictably changing factors – domestic politics and regional relations – will result in the future fate of the country in which Hungary is increasingly interested.