[LINK] "The Resurrection of Vaclav Klaus"
Transition Online's Katerina Safarikova writes about how Czech president Vaclav Klaus, in his post-Communist opportunism, has now become decidedly pro-Russian.
he fact that the former Czech head of state flew out to the island of Rhodes for a friendly chat with Vladimir Yakunin and other Putin admirers − many of whom are on EU and U.S. black lists - caused astonishment in the West.
For Central Europeans, it came as no surprise. It was just another example of the incarnation of Klaus we’ve known for years. Klaus started his career in the 1990s as a staunch admirer of the West with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan as his role models; indeed, every member of his party had to have a picture of the Iron Lady hanging in his or her office if they wanted to be noticed by Vaclav Klaus.
During his time in office, from 2003 until 2013, however, he turned his back on the West. He became harshly Euro skeptical - he was the last head of state to sign off on the Lisbon Treaty of the EU in 2009 - and began looking up to Vladimir Putin.
Klaus singled out the Russian president as the inspirational leader of our times, despite the fact that Putin possessed a long list of political opponents behind bars. In one speech in Moscow, Klaus said that the real threat to democracy and freedom in Europe was not Putin’s regime, but the EU.
When Klaus stepped down as president, no one expected him to retire from public life completely. He opened the Institute of Vaclav Klaus, financed by a private company with major stakes in Russia and China, and continues to do what he did at Prague Castle - giving lectures, conference-hopping, and staying in the spotlight.
In fall 2013, he tried to form an electoral coalition, but the hotchpotch of obscure right-wing parties and individuals gained only 0.44 percent of votes. His latest contribution to Czech political life, however, is different. Klaus spoke out against the EU migration quotas, dubbing them “the suicide of Europe.” That was nothing extraordinary; the majority of Czech political representation contests the resettlement of refugees within EU states. Here, Klaus was banging on doors that were already wide open.
he fact that the former Czech head of state flew out to the island of Rhodes for a friendly chat with Vladimir Yakunin and other Putin admirers − many of whom are on EU and U.S. black lists - caused astonishment in the West.
For Central Europeans, it came as no surprise. It was just another example of the incarnation of Klaus we’ve known for years. Klaus started his career in the 1990s as a staunch admirer of the West with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan as his role models; indeed, every member of his party had to have a picture of the Iron Lady hanging in his or her office if they wanted to be noticed by Vaclav Klaus.
During his time in office, from 2003 until 2013, however, he turned his back on the West. He became harshly Euro skeptical - he was the last head of state to sign off on the Lisbon Treaty of the EU in 2009 - and began looking up to Vladimir Putin.
Klaus singled out the Russian president as the inspirational leader of our times, despite the fact that Putin possessed a long list of political opponents behind bars. In one speech in Moscow, Klaus said that the real threat to democracy and freedom in Europe was not Putin’s regime, but the EU.
When Klaus stepped down as president, no one expected him to retire from public life completely. He opened the Institute of Vaclav Klaus, financed by a private company with major stakes in Russia and China, and continues to do what he did at Prague Castle - giving lectures, conference-hopping, and staying in the spotlight.
In fall 2013, he tried to form an electoral coalition, but the hotchpotch of obscure right-wing parties and individuals gained only 0.44 percent of votes. His latest contribution to Czech political life, however, is different. Klaus spoke out against the EU migration quotas, dubbing them “the suicide of Europe.” That was nothing extraordinary; the majority of Czech political representation contests the resettlement of refugees within EU states. Here, Klaus was banging on doors that were already wide open.