Adrian Cioroianu
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Adrian Mihai Cioroianu (born January 5, 1967, in
Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...
,
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
) is a Romanian historian, politician, journalist, and essayist. A lecturer for the History Department at the
University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...
, he is the author of several books dealing with Romanian history (and specifically with the history of
Communist Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania (, RSR) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist One-party state, one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989 (see Revolutions of 1989). From 1947 to 1965, the state was ...
). He is also noted for his contribution as co-author of a high school textbook. A member of the Group for Social Dialogue, he joined the National Liberal Party (PNL) and was elected to the Romanian Senate for
Timiș County Timiș () is a county (''județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical regions of Romania, historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Ro ...
in 2004. Following the accession of Romania to the European Union (January 1, 2007), he served as a
Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and a vice president of the ALDE group in the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
. On April 5, 2007, Cioroianu became Foreign Affairs Minister in the second
Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu Călin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tăriceanu (; born 14 January 1952) is a Romanian politician who served as Prime Minister of Romania, prime minister of Romania from 2004 to 2008. He was also president of the National Liberal Party (Romania), Na ...
cabinet. On April 11, 2008, he announced his resignation, following a scandal involving the death of a Romanian citizen on hunger strike in Poland. A contributor to numerous newspapers and magazines (including '' Cotidianul'', '' 22'', '' Sfera Politicii'', '' Lettre International'', and ''Dosarele Istoriei''), he has been a member of the editorial staff for '' Dilema Veche'' since 1998, and an editor for '' Gazeta Sporturilor'' since 2003. Between 2000 and 2004, Cioroianu has hosted several
talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
s on television (for
Pax TV Ion Television (referred to on-air as simply Ion) is an American terrestrial television, broadcast television network and Free ad-supported streaming television, FAST television channel owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scri ...
, TVR 1, and Realitatea TV).


Biography


Early life

He was born on 5 January 1967. Born in
Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...
to Iulian and Valeria, Cioroianu graduated from the University of Bucharest's Faculty of History in 1993, taking a
Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
from
Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...
in
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
(1997), and a
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
from the same institution (with the thesis ''The Myth, the Images and the Cult of the Leader in Communist Romania'', 2002). In 1993 he married Luminiţa, a university classmate who became an English-language translator. They had a son, Mihai, in 1999 before divorcing in November 2003. His wife cited an extramarital affair and a disinterest in family obligations as motives for the divorce.


Textbook controversy

One of his first noted public appearances took place in 1999, when several textbooks received endorsement from the
Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
, as multiple alternatives to the older ones (which had been authored by the ministry itself). New methods and subjects proposed in the study of Romanian history became the center of controversy, which involved, among others, the textbook authored by Cioroianu and other University staff ( Stelian Brezeanu, Florin Müller, Mihai Sorin Rădulescu, and Mihai Retegan) for Editura RAO; the book itself was criticized for not allocating a larger segment to the Romanian Revolution of 1989, and Cioroianu later explained that the editorial choice had been imposed by the level of trustworthy sources available at the time.Radu Tutuianu, "Revoluţia alternativă" ("The Alternative Revolution")
, in '' Jurnalul Naţional'', December 27, 2005
Cioroianu was also highly critical of the methods used by adversaries of the textbooks during the overall debate, and publicly sided with the authors of arguably the most innovative manual, the one published by Editura Sigma.Paul Cernat, "Cioroianu trece ecranul" ("Cioroianu Moves beyond the Screen")
in '' Observator Cultural''
Răzvan Pârâianu, "Politica şi predarea istoriei" ("Politics and the Teaching of History"), in ''Eurozine''
He repeatedly argued in favor of the authors ( Sorin Mitu, Ovidiu Pecican, Lucia Copoeru, Virgiliu Ţârău, and Liviu Ţîrău), debating the issue with Marius Tucă and Octavian Paler during television appearances of that year. Throughout the Adrian Năstase premiership (2000–2004), Cioroianu remained critical of the Social Democratic Party's policies on education, and questioned the decision taken by the Minister of Education, Ecaterina Andronescu, regarding restrictions on the number of textbooks receiving official approval."Manualele alternative la cheremul MEC" ("Alternative Textbooks Left to the Whims of the Education Ministry")
, in '' 22'', May 2002


Political career

Cioroianu entered politics as a PNL member in 2002, when he became an adviser on
Theodor Stolojan Theodor Dumitru Stolojan (; born 24 October 1943) is a Romanian politician who was Prime Minister of Romania from September 1991 to November 1992. An economist by training, he was also one of the presidents of the National Liberal Party (PNL) be ...
's staff. In 2004, he was elected to the Senate for
Timiș County Timiș () is a county (''județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical regions of Romania, historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Ro ...
, a member of the Justice and Truth group inside the
Parliament of Romania The Parliament of Romania () is the national Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania), Chamber of Deputies () and the Senate of Romania, Senate (). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament i ...
. He was Vice President of the Senate Committee on Culture, Arts and Media, and stood on the Committee of Inquiry into the activities of the Romanian Television Company. With fellow National Liberal parliamentarians Mona Muscă, Viorel Oancea, and Mihăiţă Calimente, Cioroianu initiated the legislative project on lustration (aimed at preventing former
Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ; PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system ...
and Union of Communist Youth active cadres from holding public office over a period of ten years).Lucian Gheorghiu, Cristian Pătrăşconiu, "România refuză să işi vadă chipul in oglinda lustraţiei" ("Romania Refuses to Gaze upon Its Image in the Mirror of Lustration")
in '' Cotidianul'', March 13, 2006
"Legea lustraţiei a trecut de Senat" ("The Lustration Law Was Passed by the Senate"), April 10, 2006, at HotNews.ro
Proposed at the same time as a more radical one drafted by National Initiative Party politicians, it reflected the legacy of the '' Timișoara Proclamation'' and was passed by the Senate in April 2006. He became an observer to the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
in 2005, and was subsequently selected MEP in 2007. On February 19, 2007, he was nominated as foreign minister by
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Călin Popescu Tăriceanu, following the resignation of Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu.
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

"Romanian Prime Minister Proposes Cioroianu as New Foreign Minister"
in the ''
International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France, for international English-speaking readers. It published under the name ''International Herald Tribune'' starting in 1967, but its ...
'' European edition, February 19, 2007
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Traian Băsescu refused to approve the nomination, saying that Cioroianu lacked the necessary experience.
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

"Romanian Prime Minister Asks Court to Order President to Appoint New Foreign Minister"
in the ''
International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France, for international English-speaking readers. It published under the name ''International Herald Tribune'' starting in 1967, but its ...
'' European edition, March 13, 2007
In March, Tăriceanu asked the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
to resolve the dispute. Following the creation of the second Popescu Tăriceanu cabinet, Cioroianu was confirmed as foreign minister by President Băsescu and sworn in on April 5, 2007. He resigned on April 11, 2008, following a scandal involving an alleged Romanian thief who died following a
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
in
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, Poland, where he had been arrested. Romania's consular services were faulted for not intervening in his defense."Ministrul de Externe Adrian Ciorioianu ÅŸi-a dat demisia" ("Minister of Foreign Affairs Adrian Cioroianu Has Resigned")
in '' Ziua'', April 11, 2008


"Greatest Romanians" controversy

In autumn 2006, he was selected by TVR 1 to take part in the televised poll to determine the greatest Romanian, during which he was to showcase the career of '' Conducător''
Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and MareÈ™al (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''ConducÄ ...
, Romania's
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
dictator; the public had already selected Antonescu as one of the top 10 entries. Like other
intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...
s chosen to take part in the campaign, each supporting a particular entry, Cioroianu narrated a short documentary film, and was subsequently involved in debates on the TVR 1 set (during two separate rounds of voting). Unlike all other participants, he chose to base his account of Antonescu on criticism, exposing, among others,
war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...
against the
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
and Roma communities during the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
(in
Transnistria Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...
and elsewhere),Vasile Gârneţ, "«Mari Români». Concursul s-a terminat, discuţiile continuă" ("«Greatest Romanians». The Competition Is Over, Debates Carry On"), in ''Contrafort'', October 2006
as well as Antonescu's unquestioned support for
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
(''see
Romania during World War II The Kingdom of Romania, under the rule of King Carol II of Romania, King Carol II, initially maintained Neutral country, neutrality in World War II. However, fascist political forces, especially the Iron Guard, rose in popularity and power, urgi ...
''), while arguing that Antonescu was a mediocre politician."Programul «Mari Români», acuzat de denigrarea mareşalului Antonescu" ("The «Greatest Romanians» Program, Accused of Denigrating Marshal Antonescu")
in '' Gândul'', October 31, 2006
The
Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...
's National Institute for the Study of
Totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public s ...
reacted to the program, accusing TVR 1 of mounting an overt campaign to denigrate Antonescu. It also questioned the fact that Cioroianu, a member of the Senate Committee on Culture, had accepted payment with public funds for his presence on the show. Criticism was also voiced by '' Ziua'' newspaper, which asked why the Television had not handed the office to a public person with more positive views of the former Romanian leader, and argued that Cioroianu had used his position to shame those who had voted for Antonescu.Miruna Munteanu, "Antonescu executat din nou, la TVR" ("Antonescu Executed a Second Time, on TVR")
in '' Ziua'', October 24, 2006
In response, Cioroianu indicated that he had been invited on set as a history professor, not as an Antonescu defender or a senator, and argued that his was a version determined by research (arguing that the latter is "the best cure against all sorts of mythologies and clichés").


Works


Authored

*''Scrum de secol. O sută una poveşti suprapuse'' ("The Ashes of a Century. A Hundred and One Superimposed Stories"), Editura Curtea Veche,
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, 2001 *''Focul ascuns în piatră. Despre istorie, memorie şi alte vanităţi contemporane'' ("The Fire Hidden in Stone. On History, Memory and Other Contemporary Vanities"), Polirom, Iaşi, 2002 *''Ce Ceausescu qui hante les Roumains: le mythe, les représentations et le culte du Dirigeant dans la Roumanie communiste'' ("This Ceauşescu Who Is Haunting the Romanians: the Myth, the Images and the Cult of the Leader in Communist Romania"; originally published in French), Editura Curtea Veche, L'agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, Bucharest 2005 *''Pe umerii lui Marx. O introducere în istoria comunismului românesc'' ("On the Shoulders of
Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...
. An Incursion into the History of Romanian Communism"), Editura Curtea Veche, Bucharest, 2005. *''Sic transit gloria. Cronica subiectivă a unui cincinal în trei ani şi jumătate'' (" Sic Transit Gloria. The Subjective Chronicle of a Five-Year Plan Completed over Three and a Half Years"), Polirom, Iaşi, 2006


Co-authored

* With Lucian Boia and Tom Sandqvist: ''Arhiva Durerii'' ("The Archive of Pain"), Editura Fundaţia Academia Civică, Pionier Press 2000


References


External links

*
Official website
*
Profile at the Romanian Senate

European Parliament profile

European Parliament official photo


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20050825072525/http://www.polirom.ro/autori.cgi?action=autori&class=details&id=946 Profile at Polirom.ro*
Fragment from ''Pe umerii lui Marx'', published by LiterNet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cioroianu, Adrian 21st-century Romanian historians Members of the Senate of Romania National Liberal Party (Romania) politicians Romanian essayists Romanian magazine editors Romanian newspaper editors Romanian television personalities Romanian textbook writers Romanian writers in French Cold War historians Academic staff of the University of Bucharest University of Bucharest alumni People from Craiova 1967 births Living people National Liberal Party (Romania) MEPs MEPs for Romania 2007