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SpecialA tale of two brothers, and the building of a nation
For the occasion of September 28, I’m here at a place that some people
actually call the real centre of the Czech Republic. Not the geographic
centre to be sure, but certainly the focal point for much of the Czech
Republic’s rocky modern-day history. It’s a statue of a man on a horse
(which people call ‘the horse’ when they arrange one of the hundreds of
meetings that take place here each day). But it’s of course the man on
the horse that has overseen everything over the last hundred years from the
declaration of Czechoslovak independence to the various political
demonstrations that gravitate here today. Above me is of course Saint
Václav, or Wenceslas, from which the surrounding square takes its name,
and his likeness has adorned this place for at least three hundred years,
in different incarnations. Legend has it that when worse comes to worst for
the Czech lands he will come un-petrified, and ride away to quash their
enemies – a disconcerting prophesy when one considers the parades of
Nazis and Communists that the statue saw come and go. But even in that,
there is a good point to be made: this symbol of Czech statehood is
indomitable; the legacy of St. Václav rides on through the ages, now for
about the 1,076th year. More
From the ArchivesGeorge Bush Sr. tolls a bell for Czechoslovakia
On November 17 1990, the first anniversary of the beginning of the Velvet
Revolution, George Bush Sr. became the first American president to visit
Czechoslovakia in the country’s 70-year history. This was a time of
strong pro-American feeling here, and during their brief stay George and
Barbara Bush were welcomed with genuine enthusiasm. Over a hundred
thousand
people gathered on Wenceslas Square to hear the president speak: More
Current AffairsWhat do Czechs expect from America's new president?
This Tuesday Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United
States of America. Mr Obama takes his oath of office in front of a huge
crowd in Washington and millions and millions of people around the rest of
the world. Excitement has been building ahead of the Obama presidency in
Europe as well as the US, with the Czech Republic proving no exception. A
recent STEM poll found Mr Obama Czechs’ favourite foreign politician by a
margin of nearly 20 percent. But when it comes down to it, what do Czechs
actually expect of America’s new leader? We asked a few on the streets of
Prague:
More
Current AffairsCzech PM seeks early visit by Barack Obama in early 2009
The Czech government and Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek in particular have
signaled their intention to invite Barack Obama - the new President-elect
of the United States - to the Czech Republic in early 2009. The purpose: to
attend an informal EU summit to be held in Prague in the spring. The visit
would coincide with the Czech Republic’s term presiding over the EU,
which begins on January 1. Dominik Jun spoke to political commentator Erik
Best and asked him how important a visit by the newly sworn-in President
Barack Obama would be:
More
Current AffairsCzechs say permanent Russian presence at US radar base out of the question
It was smiles and handshakes all round at the NATO summit in Bucharest last
Thursday when the United States and the Czech Republic announced they had
reached agreement on building a radar base on Czech territory as part of
the U.S. missile defence shield. But it was clear to all that the road to
implementing the agreement would be long and difficult. The past weekend
has indicted possible pitfalls for Czech diplomacy as the U.S. and Russian
presidents strove to find common ground on missile defense.
More
Current AffairsRadar base treaty “three words” away but many obstacles remain
The Czech Republic and the United States are just “three words away”
from a treaty on basing a U.S. anti-missile radar facility in Central
Bohemia, according to the leaders of the two countries. Prime Minister
Mirek Topolánek met U.S. President George W. Bush at the White House on
Wednesday, and while a final treaty was not agreed, they seemed confident
it would be soon. But the path to expanding missile defence to Central
Europe does not appear smooth. More
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