Culture Wars and the Battle for Hegemony Essay The first in a series of essays dedicated to the phenomenon of what is known as the culture wars of Central Europe explains the concept in its original American context, as well as its shift to Europe. This kind of conflict, unlike a historical dispute or ideological debate, is primarily about power. By Zora Hesová
Happy Birthday to You, V4 Analysis Special anniversaries are always a good occasion on which to ask the principle questions featured in the title of Gauguin´s famous painting: “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?” Let´s do that for the Visegrad Four group now that it is celebrating its 30th anniversary. By Oľga Gyárfášová
Behind a Climate Smokescreen: Czech Support for Nuclear Energy Analysis At first glance, it might seem that the Czech climate movement can put the flags out. A government bill on measures for the Czech Republic’s transition to a low-carbon energy industry has been submitted to the Chamber of Deputies and is being debated rapidly in extraordinary sessions. The title of the bill may evoke the anti-fossil law which was urged by Czech environmental organizations in the “Great Challenge” (“Velká výzva”) campaign for years. Nevertheless, as we learn in one of the bill’s introductory articles, the Definition of Terms, a low-carbon electricity generating plant for the purpose of this law means one with a nuclear reactor. The rapid reduction of risks related to global climate change is obviously not the real goal of this bill. By Karel Polanecký
Czech Senate and regional elections 2020: Bitter victory for the Prime Minister, dominance of the opposition in the Senate Analysis During October there were elections to the regional assemblies and one-third of the Senate in the Czech Republic.The outcome can be summarized as follows: The Association of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) movement of Andrej Babiš had the best showing in the regional contests, but their potential coalition partners lost ground, and as a consequence, ANO will be part of coalition governments in just some regions. Opposition parties gained strength and the left absolutely failed. In the Senate elections, the clear victor was the Mayors and Independents (STAN) movement, and we can call the Social Democrats the most defeated, as they did not defend a single seat. Both elections were marked by concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, and many people perceive the outcome to be a kind of overture to the elections to the Chamber of Deputies that await the Czech Republic next year. By Štěpán Drahokoupil
Czechs and migration: Solidarity lost in transformation Article “I will not bring 18-year-old Afghans to the Czech Republic because I consider it a security risk,” said Czech Interior Minister Jan Hamáček of the Social Democrats at the beginning of the year, when the country was asked to take in 40 unaccompanied migrants and refugees from Greece’s overflowing refugee camps. He had reiterated different variations on that position before then and has repeated them since, most recently after the blaze that razed the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos to the ground, leaving thousands of unaccompanied minors and hundreds of parents accompanying their children homeless. By Adéla Jurečková
Thirty Years on from the Velvet Revolution: Minorities and Changes We are bringing closer to your attention personal testimonies of six exceptional people who are publicly active in the Czech Republic: A woman from a Romani family (Jana Horváthová), a Jewish man from Slovakia (Fedor Gál), a female representative of the queer community (Adéla Horáková), a Syrian Arab woman of Czech origin (Samira Sibai), a homeless man living with a disability (Slavko Ševčík), and a man who is a vicar (Vladimír Volráb). All of these six people have had to define their attitudes, identities and values vis-à-vis the majority society after 1989. Let us explore how have they managed. By Barbora Latečková
The nuclear legacy nobody wants Czech nuclear reactors have so far produced at least 4000 tons of highly radioactive waste. If the number of reactors grows, so will the amount of waste produced. The government has long declared itself in favor of developing nuclear energy even as it still does not know how to solve the nuclear waste problem. Martin Sedlák takes a look. By Martin Sedlák
The Czech Nuclear Vision: An Elephant on Feet of Clay The Czech Republic’s new government has made one of its central promises to build new nuclear reactors. Most administrations have made similar pledges, but new ground has not been broken since 2004. Martin Sedlák asks: can the government succeed this time? By Martin Sedlák
After the elections in the Czech Republic: The end of liberal democracy in Central Europe? The Czech election results are a source of considerable concern. Nevertheless, it is worth taking a differentiated look at them and not panicking about warnings that all of Central Europe is bidding farewell to the principles of liberal democracy. 26 October 2017 By Eva van de Rakt
In Favour of a Solidary EU Refugee Policy A special EU summit of heads of state and government will take place on 23 September. After years of neglect, however, a solidary EU refugee policy cannot be elaborated in summary proceedings and under pressure. A commentary by Eva van de Rakt. By Eva van de Rakt