We find ourselves at a crossroads in Eastern Europe. Once perched in the dim shadow of empires and world powers, Moldova now finds itself front and center in the blinding light of history’s spotlight. The 2025 election delivered the unthinkable, a decisive victory for the pro‑European governing party. To understand how we got here, in a region defined by east-west fault lines, we turn to Jacques Rupnik, Central Europe Specialist and Director of Research at Sciences Po’s Centre of International Research. His work on Central and East Europe, democratization, and European integration is steeped in both historical depth and analytical clarity.