Romanian-born geopolitical analyst Vladimir Socor who wrote about Central and East Europe, Russia and the former Soviet states for more than half a century has died, the Jamestown Foundation said.
The Jamestown Senior Fellow died on Aug. 12 in Munich where he lived, a few days after his 80th birthday following a brief illness, the foundation said.
“His loss has left a colossal hole in our hearts. Vlad’s towering presence in analyzing the strategic realities of Central-Eastern Europe and Eurasia for over four decades will endure, as will his legacy in serving as a guiding light for future generations of analysts,” the Jamestown Foundation said.
Socor, who was a U.S. citizen, wrote thousands of articles over more than five decades of work at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and The Jamestown Foundation and Euroasia Daily Monitor.
He was a leading expert on Moldovan and Romanian politics, and focused extensively on Moscow’s relations with the West, energy security, regional defense, Russian foreign affairs, secessionist conflicts, and NATO policies and programs.
He studied history at the University of Bucharest and later received a Master of Philosophy in East European History from Columbia University in 1977.
He worked as an analyst for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in the Research and Analysis Department (1983–1994), where he established his reputation as a leading analyst of the region—both communist and post-communist.
He worked as a senior fellow at the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies in Washington Since 2000, he has contributed articles to the European edition of The Wall Street Journal.
He was a frequent speaker at U.S. and European policy conferences and think tanks, as well as a regular guest lecturer at the NATO Defense College and Harvard University’s National Security Program’s Black Sea Program.
“The world is a little less bright. We have been deprived of both a friend and someone who could illuminate the world’s complexities like few others could. Vlad was an analyst, first and foremost, even to the very end,” Peter Mattis, President of The Jamestown Foundation, said in a statement.
Mr. Mattis described him as “quiet and intense in the office. Most often, Vlad’s head was down at this computer, utterly consumed with reading or writing, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. Yet, he was never impolite or unkind.”
Professionally and personally he had an “analytic intensity (that) matched his focus on the conversation,” the statement said.
“I found Vlad invaluable over the last two years, as he always seemed to have clear, logical, and structured thoughts on every question I could think to ask.”
He was praised for writing in a “distinct individual style and verve, with careful structure and logical flow. And, most importantly, Vlad always wrote with excellence. The kind worth waiting for.”
People who knew him were invited to share stories about him on [email protected].
There was no immediate word about survivors or funeral arrangements.
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