Good afternoon, radar

Bush's visit did not reassure the Czechs

With the departure of US President George W. Bush from Prague for the G8 summit in Germany, the topic of creating an American missile shield for Europe began to be discussed by the Czech public at all levels - from pub regulars to parliament members. After all, the guest promised the leadership of the Czech Republic in the person of President Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek what they so wanted - protection from “rogue regimes” in the form of an American missile defense radar near Prague. And Bush granted the Czech people the right to equal friendship with Washington and Moscow, despite Russia’s obvious rejection of US military plans.

The “Russian factor” is firmly present in all discussions. The Czechs, not only with sympathy, but with understanding according to everyday logic, relate to Moscow’s arguments. One of the participants in a television talk show said this: suppose the situation in the world changes and the American radar becomes an “enemy target” for Moscow - this means that it will be attacked. But “we live there, close by, we have a house, a farm, a forest...”. Such talk shows involve dozens of politicians, experts, hundreds of spectators in the hall and many tens of thousands in front of television screens. People are trying to understand what to expect after the deployment of a foreign military facility in their country.

A referendum held on the eve of Bush's visit in several villages near the town of Brdy, where the American radar station was to be built, showed that their residents categorically object to this. But the referendum has no legal force, since there is no law on referendums in the country. And public opinion polls show that approximately two-thirds of Czech citizens do not want American radar. The descendants of Jan Hus and Jan Zizka experience neither feelings of “Atlantic solidarity” nor fear of the currently non-existent North Korean or Iranian missiles. For the most part, they simply don’t want to see “this piece of hardware.”

The Czechs are not a politicized people. Strikes by doctors and farmers attract many more people than political actions, and therefore anti-war protests look like a small “festival of beliefs”, and not an “act of struggle.” And when it comes to Russia, you will not see a stern expression on the faces of Czechs. Only Prime Minister Topolanek constantly calls Russia a “big bear,” arguing that when internal problems grow, Moscow is always looking for an “external enemy.”

Washington's military plans were supported by Czech Defense Minister Vlasta Parkanova. She did this in a way that was not entirely usual for an official of her rank - she recorded for the arrival of the American guest to the tune of the 1961 song “Good afternoon, Major Gagarin!” new hit. It featured a new politically correct refrain: “Good afternoon, Star Spangled Banner! Good afternoon, radar! The hit, which also has English lyrics, was performed professionally - Mrs. Parkanova is a former jazz singer.

A well-known Czech expert, an employee of the Institute of International Relations in Prague, Vladimir Gandl, commented to Vremya Novostei on the results of Bush's Prague meetings: “Czech politicians are very pleased with the results of the negotiations. The guest said the main thing they expected: he would take over the dialogue with Moscow regarding the radar. Bush realized that Prague did not have enough geopolitical weight for such a conversation with Russia. And this suits Czech politicians quite well.”

According to our interlocutor, “the point is that the European Union considers the Czech Republic as a partner who in the future could effectively conduct a dialogue with Russia on behalf of the EU.” But “there’s a catch: before the Czech Republic can find its voice in dialogue with Russia, it must find its voice in the EU.” “But for this, the Czech Republic should replace its numerous “no” when resolving EU integration issues with more constructive participation. Then, in the dialogue with Russia, the Czech Republic will act as a very significant partner. For now, this is not the case, and the prospects for equal friendship between the Czech Republic and Russia and the United States are still vague,” concluded Vladimir Gandl.

Vladimir VEDRASHKO, Prague, Alexey SLOBODIN