Researching an Eastern European territory with major diplomatic relations ramifications had Bernard Cook, Ph.D., the Provost Distinguished Professor of History at Loyola University New Orleans, digging through decades-old U.S. State Department records. Cook was invited to present his research on Bessarabia to the Conference of the International Commission of History of International Relations in Bucharest, Romania, Sept. 19-23.

The paper, “The United States and the Bessarabian Question,” uncovers the tensions between the U.S. and Romania over whether Romania had a legitimate claim to Bessarabia following World War I. The paper attracted strong interest in Romania. It will be published in an upcoming issue of the Romanian journal, Magazin Istoric.

Loyola associate professor of history David Moore, Ph.D., also presented a joint paper with Cook at the same conference titled, “The Reaction of the United States to the Russo-Georgian War of 2008.”