Václav Klaus: the EU is at war with liberty

English Pages, 25. 9. 2014

An interview with the former Czech president, possibly the West’s last truly outspoken leader
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Václav Klaus has made a habit of saying things others shy away from saying, but it doesn’t seem to have done him much harm in the popularity stakes. Quite the opposite: the 73-year-old ardently Eurosceptic free-marketeer has legitimate claims to be regarded as the most successful ‘true blue’ conservative politician in Europe over the past 25 years. He was, after all, prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1992 to 1998 and then his country’s president for a further ten years, from 2003 to 2013.

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The Great War and Its Continuing Impact: The View from the Czech Republic

English Pages, 17. 9. 2014

Many thanks for inviting me to attend this very topical conference organized on the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of the First World War. The topic is very motivating and not about history only. In addition to it, the invitation gives me a pleasant opportunity to visit Serbia, a country where the war started, a country I – and Czechs traditionally – like, a country where I have good friends. Last time I was here in January 2011 which is – in the currently fast-going era – already a relatively long time ago.

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Careless Opening Up of Countries (without Keeping the Anchor of the Nation-State) Leads either to Anarchy or to Global Governance: Lessons of the European Experience

English Pages, 3. 9. 2014

Twenty four years ago, a few months after the fall of communism, I attended my first MPS General Meeting. As some of you may remember, it was held in Munich. It gave me the enormously valuable opportunity to see and meet the famous names of the MPS – Friedman, Stigler, Becker and many others (but these three were the most visible ones when looked at it from behind the Iron Curtain).

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Václav Klaus sent a letter of congratulation to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

English Pages, 12. 8. 2014

Dear Mr. President,

Let me congratulate you on your election as President of the Republic of Turkey.

In the past, I had several opportunities to meet you and learn you were a man with clear vision who strives to turn Turkey into a strong, self-confident, economically successful and culturally diverse country; a man with an interest in the stability of the whole Middle East.

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Polish Transformation as Seen by a Friendly Neighbour

English Pages, 22. 7. 2014

I don’t pretend to be an expert on Polish transformation and on Polish history. I have only been an unsystematic foreign observer of Polish developments both in the communist era and in the last quarter of a century, a relatively frequent visitor to Poland (in the last years mostly on short official visits), a personal friend of late president Kaczyński (and of several Polish reformers).

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Yegor Gaidar and the Economics of Transformation

English Pages, 4. 7. 2014

It was a great pleasure and honour for me when your rector, prof. Djankov, asked me to address this academic audience on the occasion of the New Economic School´s commencement ceremony. In the first two decades of its existence, your school has gained a very good reputation both at home and abroad and I am really glad to be here. And I am particularly glad to be here now when Russia is so disputed and – in my understanding – not fully correctly interpreted in the rest of the world.

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Jiří Weigl: On the Near East powder keg

English Pages, 27. 6. 2014

The current increase of international tension is also reflected in the dramatically changing situation of the Arab countries, the fusion and interconnection of individual crises in the Near and Middle East.

The unexpected offensive of the Sunni militias of the radical movement of ISIL (the Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant) that already controls an important part of northern and central Iraq including the second largest city of Mosul has drawn the world's attention.

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Is There Any Reason to Celebrate Our First Ten Years in the EU?

English Pages, 20. 6. 2014

Many thanks for the invitation. I am really glad to be here again and to meet many old friends. The twelve months between last June and this one supplied us with many significant events. Some of them were unexpected but some of them were known in advance. We – in the Czech Republic and other Central and East European countries – did expect the coming of the 10^th anniversary of our EU membership. This moment gave us an opportunity to analyse and discuss this experience.

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Why does Illarionov repeat anti-Klaus lies?

English Pages, 13. 6. 2014

On May 30, 2014, the Czech internet server Echo24 published a story with a title: Why does Klaus repeat Kremlin's lies? Putin's critic wonders. It is an interview with Andrei Illarionov, Russian economist and former close collaborator of Russian president Vladimir Putin, who shortly after falling out of favor with the regime at home, moved to the USA and now shocks the world with anti-Russian propaganda and bizarre media declarations about how Russia now "focuses" on the Baltics and Finland as the next victim after Ukraine.

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Remarks at the Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

English Pages, 12. 6. 2014

I am extremely honored to be at this place at this very moment. The statue of the Goddess of Democracy, standing here only seven years, has already become an integral part of the city. 

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