Author: Connor Jones

Czech Republic and Freedoms

November 21, 2018 / Connor Jones / 1 Comment

The Czech Republic’s constitution aligns with many of the other liberal democracies that Blithe wrote about like France and the Netherlands. However, many will argue that the current government in power in the Czech Republic is certainty pushing the boundaries when it comes to preserving freedoms. The Czech Republic constitution provides “The law provides for freedom of expression. The law provides for some limitations to this freedom, including in cases of hate speech, Holocaust denial, and denial of communist-era crimes” (Human Rights Report, 2017). Much like the other countries mentioned in the reading the Czech Republic promotes free speech but does have limitations in place against certain speech.

As the Czech Republic continues to become more right winged there are very serious threats to free speech and expression. In 2017, 64 members of the Czech Parliament introduced a bill that would make it illegal for people to defame the President (Tamkin, 2016). While some European countries did have law that restricted speech about the government back in the early 20^th century, it is rare to see today. The Czech President also just made what some would call racist remarks about Roma. He said that “a 90% unemployment rate among the country’s Roma, earning a rebuke from campaigners and rights activists” (Euractiv, 2018). Not only has the president called out this group of people but the prime minister as well. Many are calling that European judiciary take control and prosecute him on the counts of hate speech. Bleich highlights that courts can make decisions that not everyone agrees with, he states that the French courts have been strict and have sometimes punished speech that should have been protected. In the case of the Czech Republic, the Prime minister and president carry a lot of power, it would be rare to see their courts do anything about it.

The migrant problem has presented the Czech Republic with a very interesting problem regarding speech. Like Blithe points out liberal democracies have had a hard time drawing the line when it comes to freedom of expression and hate speech. Czech Republic officials have been some of the most outspoken when it comes to allowing migrants into the country. The president has said it’s a “road to hell for Europe”, they have declined the EU quota for migrants. It will be very interesting to see if the EU courts or other countries start to condemn the speech of these officials.

The Czech Republic and Russia have had. Very interesting relationship since the 20^th century. In 1968, Alexander Dubeck lead the Communist party of Czechoslovakia to overthrow the rule of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union sent almost a half a million soldiers from Russia nd Warsaw and was able to put down the rebellion unitl the Velvet revolution in 1989. As of recent have had very strong political connections. The far-right party of the Czech Republic, known as the ANO, has gained significant power in the Czech parliament as of recent. The leader of the party is Andrej Babis, and many feels that he will depart from the pro-western ideals instilled in the Prague Spring and be the latest causality in Putin’s campaign to weaken the west. The relationship between Putin and Babis is especially important because of the connection the ANO party has to the Czech President, Milos Zenman. “Zeman has supported Putin’s intervention in Syria and endorsed Russian actions in Eastern Ukraine. He defined the Ukrainian conflict as a civil war between rebels and the state, effectively denying any Russian aggression or military presence on Ukrainian soil” (Ereli, 2017). The president has also made remarks that he disagrees with the sanctions placed on Russia by the EU.

However, most Czech citizens resent Russia, for the dissolution of the Prague Spring. They still feel resentment towards Russia. But again, there are many Czech politicians that are in favor or an improved relationship. Czech Republic there are those on both the far left and the far right who favour improved relations with Russia and dismiss the historical grievances as irrelevant. “Think of our history with the Germans, and now we are friends, said Jaroslav Doubrava, 70, a senator in the Czech parliament” (Walker, 2018). The research shows that there are very important people in the Czech government that support Putin and want to strengthen the relations between the countries. However, it seems that many citizens are having a hard time fading from the strained history between the two countries. It will be really interesting to see how public opinion will be able to influence governments decisions.

“Czech President Defends Assertion That Most Roma Don’t Work.” Euractiv.com. October 08, 2018. Accessed November 18, 2018.

“CZECH REPUBLIC 2017 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT.” State.gov. 2017. Accessed November 18, 2018.

Ereli, Adam. “Is the Czech Republic Falling Under Putin’s Shadow?” Foreign Policy. October 10, 2017. Accessed November 19, 2018.

Tamkin, Emily. “The Czech Republic May Dodge a Bullet to Free Speech This Year. But Will It in 2017?” Foreign Policy. December 01, 2016. Accessed November 19, 2018.

Walker, Shaun. “Russian Presence Divides Czechs 50 Years after Prague Spring.” The Guardian. August 20, 2018. Accessed November 19, 2018.

Czech Republic Foreign Policy

October 23, 2018 / Connor Jones / 1 Comment

Czech Republic foreign policy is the most similar to the foreign policy of the United Kingdom. When the European Economic community was established in 1957, the United Kingdom decided not to join and focus on their colonies and relationships across the Atlantic. When the Czech Republic become free of Soviet control, they also had a buffer period until joining the EU. Like the United Kingdom, they focused on their own domestic economic and political institutions. Ever since the financial crisis, there has been significant Euroscepticism. This was highlighted when the UK decided not to join the Eurozone. The country enjoyed their own economic prosperity and didn’t want to be associated with the stagnant economies of Italy, Germany and France. While the Czech Republic plans to join the eurozone, it is unreasonable to compare their economic status. However, what is similar is their feelings toward Euroscepticism. The Czech Republic is often regarded as one of the most Eurosceptic member states. While a majority of Czech citizens view the EU in a positive light, it is important to recognize the minority group. The book highlights how Tony Blair, the former British Prime minister, steered British foreign policy to align more with President Bush’s “war on terror” mentality than to those policies within Europe. In addition, Britain has been a country that has been impacted by the migrant crisis. The British Social Attitude survey stated that 77 percent of respondents wanted a reduction in the total number of migrants. Similarly to the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic has been hard on closing its boarders and reducing the population of migrants. The political elite of the Czech Republic has vehemently been against the EU migrant policy. The ideas of Euroscepticism and opposition of the migrant crisis are both crucial points in the foreign policy within the UK and the Czech Republic. Even though they are two very different countries economically and politically, they have been able to implement these policies in relatively the same context.

The Czech Republic has made headlines regarding their migration policy, but not because of the number of migrants they are allowing to enter, but because of the harsh tones of islamophobia and anti-immigration. The Czech Republic has had significant criticism toward the EU migration policy. They have placed focus on resisting compulsory quotas on the relocation and resettlement of refugees, supporting stronger border protection. The Czech government, however, has tried to appease the EU and the commission. They initially accepted the quota proposed by the commission and began allowing refugees to enter the country. However, it wasn’t until after that they opposed the quotas.

The Czech Republic and EU institutions have had a relatively strained relationship when dealing with migration. The Czech Republic has been brought before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) twice in the past four years. The first stemmed from their opposition to the quota system in 2015. The ECJ ruled in opposition of the Czech Republic, highlighting the fact they were under the European Social Charter and they had to comply with the commission’s proposals in times of crisis. Once again, in December of 2017 the European commission referred the Czech Republic to the Court of Justice for not cooperating with their legal obligations on relocation of migrants from Italy and Greece. The new EU migration policy created this year, categorized as “Rome’s shared responsibility plan”, was put in place as a way for multiple member states to welcome immigrants. It was first put into practice in July, when a ship of 630 migrants came to Italy, Germany, France, and Malta. Each of these countries took at least 50 immigrants, while the Czech Republic took zero. The Prime Minister labeled it as a “road to hell”. In addition, just before this move, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic skipped an EU summit on migration in protest of the new EU policies.

The Czech Republic has had an interesting relationship when it comes to domestic foreign policy colliding with EU foreign policy. The neo-liberal ideas that are being spread by the EU are in contrast with the conservative voices that are starting to become customary in the Czech Republic. It is also interesting to see how regional politics are impacted by the Visegrad Four, or V4, which focuses on key policies across the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Although their mission states that it was not created as an alternative to the all-European integration efforts, it does seem like they have formed a smaller group, which competes with the existing structure. If nations continue to vocally oppose the EU, what options can the EU use to promote cooperation?

Sources:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5654013/True-scale-Britains-immigration-crisis-revealed.html

https://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/foreign_relations/policy_planning/concept_of_the_czech_republic_s_foreign.html

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-5002_en.htm

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/21/europe/hungary-slovakia-poland-czech-skip-migration-summit-intl/index.html

Definitions of Europe

September 14, 2018 / Connor Jones / 1 Comment

The question “what is Europe ?” is very complex and has had many answers over time, as well as still being debated today. There are many different types of definitions that one can formulate when thinking about the definition of Europe. One of the most common is geographic. Europe is the western part of the Eurasian landmass that starts at the Atlantic and ends at the Caucasus and Ural Mountains. This definition could be problematic, however, because these geographical boarders are not clear enough and would cut Russia in two and excludes Turkey. Another common historical definition would be based off of religion or culture, specifically dividing Europe using the criteria of Christian vs. Muslim. This view has obviously not been held widely today. The last historical definition was the political definition, specifically looking at the divisions of democracy vs communism. Europe was the capitalistic west, while the eastern part of the landmass was under the influence of communism. The definition that many use today is based on the member countries within the EU. With currently 28-member states, it doesn’t encompass all of Europe, but the collective group certainty holds the most political and economic power in the region. Countries that are not part of the EU realize this and have been fighting to be added for long periods of time. Turkey, for example, has been negotiating since 1987 to join and has been unsuccessful. With a significant number of conditions and approval needed from all 28 countries, it is not easy to gain access into this group. However, the fact of the matter, is that in contemporary Europe, the EU countries are thought of as the “European continent”. The people that are citizens of an EU country can consider themselves “European”. As the geographical, cultural and political definitions have become outdated over the years, the creation of the EU has taken over as the true definition of Europe.

The Czech Republic has been a member of the EU since 2004, after about 4 years of communist rule. Since 2004, this country have been the beneficiary of billions of dollars in development funds from the EU and about 84 percent of the Czech’s exports are to intra-European countries. In more recent news, they are currently trying to adopt the euro. From the evidence presented, it is clear that the Czech Republic’s idea of Europe is probably greatly influenced by being part of the EU. Since most of their political and economic institutions are influenced by the EU, their view of Europe is likely just a view of the EU. Czech Republic has also taken a very hard stance on the migration crisis. This has been such a pressing issue that the Czech Republic is thinking about following Britain and starting “Czexit”, a nod to Brexit. In a study conducted by the STEM agency, about 60 percent of Czechs said they were unhappy with EU membership and 62 percent said they would vote against it in a referendum. This reinforces that the cultural and geographic definitions of Europe still might be considered by some within the Czech population. If they don’t want to have a quota of migrants and want to keep their European identity, their definition might be more restricted. It is no surprise that the Czech Republic would have such a restricted view on Europe. The EU has played such a vital role economically and politically that they want to keep it that way and keep benefiting from free trade and interconnectedness of the union, and would prefer not to have to share it with new members or people. Even though some Czech leaders have been called euro skeptics, they still have taken on the European identity after all these years of influence, and it shows when they want to close their boarders.

Anonymous. “Czech Republic – European Union – European Commission.” European Union. September 05, 2018. Accessed September 12, 2018.

Glencross, Andrew. The Politics of European Integration. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley Blackwell, 2014.

Holehouse, Matthew. “Czech Republic ‘will Follow Britain out of EU’.” The Telegraph. February 23, 2016. Accessed September 11, 2018.