Schwarzenberg at Forum 2000: Europe “tired” of democracy led by gray officials

Former Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg, the head of the rightest TOP 09 and former chancellor to the late Václav Havel, along with former Slovak prime minister Iveta Radičová, took part in a panel discussion on Monday at Forum 2000 underway in the Czech capital. Monday’s discussion was chaired by the French Czech-born political scientist Jacques Rupnik. In the discussion, Mr Schwarzenberg suggested that Europe was tired of democracy represented by boring, gray and what many consider to be largely interchangeable politicians; he added that Mr Putin might awaken Europe from its lethargy. Ms Radičová stated that, in her view, democracy was most threatened by calls for stronger states at the expense of individual rights or freedoms. This year the overriding theme of Forum 2000 is Democracy and its Discontents, 25 years after the fall of communism in Europe.

Author: Jan Velinger