ABSTRACT
Moldova's changing rulers and borders, together with Moscow's industrialization policies, have resulted in multinational population. The interaction between the majority Moldovans and the minority Russians is the defining characteristic of contemporary Moldovan politics. Moldova provides an example of efforts by the political leadership to seek a positive balance between the assertiveness of the titular majority and the rights of minority groups. The Soviet-era migration not only affected Moldova's demography, but also its occupational and educational balance. Language has been a central issue in the interaction of Moldovans and Russians since the late 1980s. The 1989 language law, though designating both Moldovan and Russian languages of inter-national communication, provided the catalyst for the Transdniestrian and Gagauz insurrections. In 1995 Chisinau granted territorial as well as cultural autonomy to Gagauzia, including the establishment of a "national-territorial autonomous unit" with elected executive and legislative officials and three official languages.
