"What's New? How Is the World Treating You?" Table of Contents for the Fourth Quarter of 2016 Trump Invited Orbán to Washington 29 November 2016One can understand a great deal about an incoming American president by considering whom he invites to the White House early in his administration. Donald Trump recently invited the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, to Washington. A report in the radically conservative news outlet Breitbart, whose head, Steve Bannon, now is Trump’s senior advisor, serves as an important source of information not only on Orbán’s pending visit but also on the new administration’s approach to Hungary’s nondemocratic government. Quoting Hungarian sources, it noted that Trump praised Hungary’s economic advancements and its track record in the last six years, the time Orbán has been in office in his second term as premier. Orbán commented that Trump “is much more interested in success, efficiency and results than in political theories. . . . This is good for us, as the facts are with us. The economic cooperation has always been good, only the ideologies presented obstacles.” Orbán told Trump that “I hadn’t been there for a long time as I had been treated as a ‘black sheep.’” Trump responded: “Me too.” There is no reason why the Hungarian prime minister should not visit the White House, but in doing so at such an early date, Trump is sending a signal that American policy will have no difficulty supporting nondemocratic leaders, which encourages them to further undermine basic rights and pluralism. “Dirty Prostitutes” 29 November 2016During a press conference on 23 November, the Slovak prime minister, Robert Fico, called journalists “dirty prostitutes.” The remark was in response to allegations that his government overpaid for two events that celebrated Slovakia’s presidency of the European Council and that the contracts for the events went to those affiliated with Fico’s party, Smer. The foreign minister, Miroslav Lajčák, who is a candidate for secretary-general of the United Nations, denied the charges and vowed to resign if there was proof of corruption. See https://euobserver.com/beyond-brussels/136013. Lithuanian, Bulgarian, and Moldovan Elections 19 November 2016Recent elections in Lithuania saw the emergence of the Peasants and Greens as the strongest party. The prime minister, Saulius Skvernelis, a former police chief with a reputation of fairness, is leading the coalition with the Social Democrats. On 13 November, a pro-Russian candidate, Rumen Radev, won the second round in the president election in Bulgaria. He supports the European Union but wants to eliminate sanctions against Russia. In the wake of the election, the prime minister, who had opposed Radev, resigned. Also on 13 November, Moldova held runoff presidential elections, and the winner was a pro-Russian, Igor Dodon, a Socialist who has called for strengthening ties with Russia, as opposed to the EU. “Effective Solidarity” Migrant Proposal from Slovakia 18 November 2016Slovakia, which holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, proposed a program of “effective solidarity,” which envisions three levels of migration, the third designed to deal with a flood of migrants. It is based on some countries accepting migrants and others contributing finances and manpower to aid in resettlement, should they not wish to have migrants in their own countries. Some are praising the proposal, which provides the hope that the EU may use it as a basis to adopt a policy that will satisfy all member states. See https://newsnow.tasr.sk/foreign/fico-in-malta-presents-slovakias-proposal-on-migration-issue/; and https://euobserver.com/migration/135960. Czech and Slovak Opinions about America's Election 15 November 2016On 18 October, the day after I arrived in Prague, Czech Republic, for a three-month stay, ČT1 news had a report about Donald Trump that was anything but flattering. It focused on the difficulties of the Trump campaign, including violence among his supporters, a number of his standpoints, as well as his comments about women and inappropriate actions. Other segments portrayed Hillary Clinton as far more reserved and professional. Among my friends and acquaintances, many believed that Clinton had more experience in international affairs and was less likely to lead America into another disastrous war than Trump. A number of women expressed their dislike of Trump’s sexual remarks and alleged actions. Even though I was aware that Trump had many admirers among Czechs and Slovaks, I had to search to find them. A Trump win, according to one Czech college student in his early 20s, would take America back ten years to the Bush era. America would become involved in more wars, which would profit the armaments industry. Furthermore, Trump would concentrate power in his hands, like Vladimir Putin did Russia. He observed that the American system of elections thrives on candidates throwing mud at each other, while the European system focuses on the programs of parties and what they would offer the people. Later, he sent me a link to a statement of a German national that was circulating throughout Europe: “Dear Americans, Go ahead, vote for the guy with the loud voice who hates minorities, threatens to imprison his opponents, doesn’t give a fuck about democracy, and claims he alone can fix everything. What could possibly go wrong? Good luck. The people of Germany.[1] One fear that many Czechs and some Slovaks expressed is that Trump is too friendly with Russia and that he would not back the smaller states of NATO along the alliance’s eastern fringe, were Russia to interfere in their internal affairs or violate their borders.[2] Having emerged from the Soviet orbit in 1989-1990, the Czechs are sensitive about the possibility of pressure from Russia or outright aggression, which is a similar concern among the citizens of the Baltic states, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. When contemplating Trump’s ties with the Kermlin, a Czech in his 50s who studied history and works as an archivist, said that he was born in a country under Russian domination and it looks like he will die under Russian influence. In some cases, politicians are out of step with their constituents. In the Czech Republic, for example, President Miloš Zeman supports better relations with Moscow and an end to the sanctions, but the prime minister, Bohuslav Sobotka, is quick to point out that the president does not express the opinion of the government. Certain European political leaders, including some in Hungary and Slovakia, also advocate improved relations with the Kremlin. There were several informal polls in the media that asked citizens to state their preference among the American candidates for president. More than 9,000 readers took part in a poll that iDnes organized in the Czech Republic, which Trump won handily (Trump received 57.4 percent of the votes, Clinton received 26.3 percent, and other candidates garnered 16.3 percent).[3] A pre-election poll in Slovakia showed that 50 percent supported Clinton, while only 19 percent backed Trump. A total of 31 percent supported other candidates. A poll of Czech politicians, which did not include the president, prime minister, or foreign minister, revealed, to no surprise, that those on the right supported Trump, and those on the left backed Clinton. A number refused to make a choice between the two. Jiří Dienstbier, a Social Democrat and minister for human rights and equal opportunity, said that “for me, Trump is a representative of the hateful and populist extreme right. He is a cultural and security threat for the world. Clinton is undoubtedly a politician who will defend decent conditions for the underprivileged, for example, maintaining and developing health insurance and care for everyone.” Cyril Svoboda, of the Christian Democratic Union-Christian Socialist party and a former government minister, stated that the choice was between the lesser of two evils, echoing the opinion of many Czechs and Slovaks. “If I had to choose,” said Svoboda, “I would vote for Donald Trump. There at least would be some chance for a change in the relations between America and Europe. Now everything is blocked in stereotypes. Ms. Clinton only would continue the current arrangement. Regarding Czech-American relations, according to me, the election of Clinton or Trump would not change anything.” The former Socialist prime minister, Jiří Paroubek, supported Clinton, but he preferred Bernie Sanders. The right-wing populist Tomio Okamura selected Trump. Two Communist parliamentary deputies favored Clinton, and one sided with Trump. The current finance and defense ministers refused to state their preference. Overall, Clinton won with 20 votes, while Trump had eight, and nine refused to respond, selected another candidate, or were unclear in their choice.[4] Trump’s remarks about women and his alleged sexual advances deserve special attention. The controversy regarding Trump’s misogyny received press coverage in the Czech Republic, and many women found him repulsive. Several also commented on what they believed was his fake hair. Their attitude toward him is apparent in the work of one Slovak cartoonist, Danglár [pseud. Josef Gertli, born 1962], who, shortly after the election, depicted Trump grabbing the breasts of a shocked Statue of Liberty.[5]  Czechs were as surprised as Americans after the elections. On Television Nova, on 10 November 2016, President Zeman noted that many compare him to Donald Trump, which he does not take as an insult but considers a complement. He told listeners that he immediately had congratulated Trump and had invited him to the Czech Republic. Former Czech president, Václav Klaus, who wants to halt European integration, dislikes homosexuals, and believes that global warming is a myth that intellectuals and politicians concocted, also lauded Trump’s victory. Prime Minister Sobotka expected no great changes in the relationship between the US and the Czech Republic, and he quipped, much to the amusement of the Czechs who watched the news broadcast with me, that, as opposed to prior American presidents-elect, at least Trump knows where the Czech Republic is on the map.[6] The day after the election, one Czech reporter saw the rise of Donald Trump and the primary victories of Bernie Sanders as early signs that the American voters opposed the establishment, although in different ways. Trump’s victory resulted from not only the rejection of those in power but also from the fears about lost jobs to foreign markets, a decline in American strength, and the threat of illegal immigrants. These concerns outstripped Trump’s vulgarity, sexual machismo, and insults of various segments of the population, including American soldiers holding Muslim religious beliefs. With his impetuousness, Trump may initiate an international conflict. Nevertheless, there may little need to fear Trump, who has a sense of showmanship while operating as a cold, calculating businessman. Congress and even his own party may “function as a good break” should his policies become too extreme.[7] Three days after the election, Czech journalist, who specializes in international affairs and has written about American politics, told me that Clinton was the wrong candidate for the Democratic party. “If a horse could not win a race against a younger horse,” he reasoned, “why would anyone suspect that horse to win when it is eight years older?” He offered another explanation for why the Democrats lost the election: the tendency in recent American politics to progress toward some sort of family clan or dynasty. It began with the Kennedys and continued with the Clintons and Bushes. These important families sought to keep and share power, and with the election of Trump, the Americans rejected this trend.[8] He saw Barack Obama as a successful president who managed the financial crisis, avoided war, favored denuclearization, and passed a limited health insurance plan. He also was flexible in that he vowed to keep American troops out of the Middle East but still sent some to Iraq, out of necessity. Nobody knows how Trump will be as president, partly because his circle of advisors is too small and lacks highly-qualified experts. He also fears that, under pressure, Trump may become too aggressive. In an e-mail exchange, a rock musician and former political dissident during the Communist regime wrote that Clinton was fake, like Madeleine Albright, and he feared that Clinton would lead America into a war with Russia, which would be devastating for Europe.
The news about the American presidential elections remained in the Czech media for days after the election. On 11 November, the journalist Robert Schuster wrote, in Lidové noviny, that, with Trump’s right-wing politics, it is not surprising that Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders, and others on the far right in Europe were the first to congratulate him. Similarly, those on the right in the Czech Republic praised Trump’s victory. The success of Trump and his conservative supporters in the United States is a boost for their counterparts in Europe, especially in upcoming elections. In Austria, on 4 December, there will be a second runoff presidential election in the close race between a far-right candidate and a former Green party leader. That same day, Italy will hold a referendum on constitutional reform that would strengthen the Chamber of Deputies and give more seats to the party with the most votes in an election. The government supports the reform as a means of breaking political stalemates, but the far right maintains that it gives the government too much strength. The Netherlands will have legislative elections in March 2017. Between April and June 2017, France will hold presidential and legislative elections. Furthermore, in October 2017, there will be legislative elections in Germany.[9] The American electoral process was the source of great confusion among Czechs, despite the media’s fairly clear account of the system. Most Czechs who paid attention to the numbers had difficulty understanding how Clinton lost the election, since she had received 59.4 million votes, as opposed to 59.2 million for Trump. Several times, I had to recount the function of the Electoral College and explain the need for candidates to win individual states, not just the overall popular vote. Three days after the election, one Czech historian echoed the remarks of many Czechs when he told me that Americans had to chose between two evils, and they had selected the worse. Still, he did not seem to be alarmed because he held out the hope that Trump, as a president, will be more circumspect than he was as a candidate. Anyone I meet after the election, even a guard at the National Archive, asked what had happened in the American elections. On the whole, I simply am not in contact with many who supported Trump, most of whom are outside the major cities. Otherwise, Czechs who are free to express their opinions are in dismay. Those who cannot afford to be so open, such as politicians, are more reserved in their comments. A common theme in the media is that the liberal democratic and socialist parties will lose many future contests to the reactionary far right if they do not learn from the experiences with Brexit and Trump. Czech commentators, politicians, and many in the electorate who watch international politics are conscious of this reality. They also hope that President Trump will learn restraint. [1] The statement is at https://i.redd.it/9ebdhdrf4tvx.jpg. More information about the German author and the statement is at Graeme Demianyk and Paul Waugh, “Exclusive: German Author of ‘Dear Americans’ Viral Message Says Rise of Trump Made Him ‘Physically Sick,’” HuffPost UK, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/german-author-dear-americans-viral-trump-hitler_uk_581fba53e4b09d57a9a8d970. I have omitted the names of individuals whom I interviewed or with whom I had exchanged e-mails to protect their privacy. [2] From 27 October to 1 November, I was in the eastern part of Slovakia, where I had several conversations with relatives and friends. [3] jw, “Výrazná většina čtenářů iDNES.cz by do Bílého domu vyslala Trumpa,” iDnes, 4 November 2016, http://zpravy.idnes.cz/vysledky-americkych-prezidentskych-voleb-nanecisto-mezi-ctenari-idnes-cz-1td-/domaci.aspx?c=A161104_125357_domaci_jw. Note that the large number of votes for candidates other than Clinton and Trump likely reflects the political culture of the Czech system, where even small parties have a chance of having some influence in the legislature and a coalition cabinet. [4] “Anketa: Jestřáb Clintonová vs. nevyzpytatelný Trump. Koho by volili čeští politici,” Lidové noviny, 8 November 2016, http://www.lidovky.cz/anketa-jestrab-clintonova-vs-nevyzpytatelny-trump-koho-by-volili-cesti-politici-gig-/zpravy-domov.aspx?c=A161107_180019_ln_domov_ELE. [5] The cartoon is available at Pravda.sk, 11 November 2016, http://nazory.pravda.sk/kresba/clanok/410566-danglar-11-11-2016/. [6] Evening news report, Televize Nova, 10 November 2016. [7] Alex Švamberk, “Komentář: Vítězství Trumpa není tragédie,” Novinky.cz, 10 November 2016, https://www.novinky.cz/komentare/420128-komentar-vitezstvi-trumpa-neni-tragedie-alex-svamberk.html. [8] In many respects, however, Trump relies heavily on his family, which supports the argument that Americans still accept prominent families in politics. [9] Robert Schuster, “Efekt Trump v Evropě: Volební úspěch Donalda Trumpa budou chtít zopakovat protestní strany ve Francii, Itálii, Rakousku či Nizozemsku,” Lidové noviny, 11 November 2016, 1 and 4. Is Trump’s Style Authoritarian? 11 November 2016After the election in the United States, one Czech historian summed up his opinion of the American voters’ decision by stating that they had to chose from two evils, and they selected the worse one. A Czech journalist, who is an acquaintance of mine, wrote that Donald Trump’s vibrato is all show. As president, he will be more circumspect, he concluded, and if not, Congress, including members of Trump’s own party, will keep him in check. Juxtaposing these two approaches is the opinion of one historian, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor of Italian history at New York University, who sees parallels between Trump’s populism and Benito Mussolini’s style and between the cult of personality that the two constructed. She fears that Trump may well mean all that he says and that “authoritarians never pivot.” See http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/a-scholar-of-fascism-sees-a-lot-thats-familiar-with-trump. Slovak and Czech Official Reactions to Trump’s Victory 11 November 2016Czech politicians, such as the prime minister, Bohuslav Sobotka, reacted calmly to the surprise 8 November election of Donald Trump as the American president. Czech President Miloš Zeman actually praised the choice and invited Trump to the Czech Republic. Whether their reaction was circumspect or supportive, Czech politicians all seem to share the common opinion that America needs to continue to honor its NATO commitments and that the Czech Republic values its ties with the United States. See http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/most-czech-politicians-react-cautiously-to-donald-trump-triumph. In Slovakia, most leaders expressed the same reserve as those in the Czech Republic. Common threads in their remarks were that Trump may be different as president than he was as a candidate and that they hope the relationship the United States has with NATO continues to be strong. The chairman of the largely Hungarian Most-Hid party, Béla Bugár, remarked that “only the future will show whether the new president will be able to overcome his shadow of populism which has accompanied his whole election campaign, and whether he will be able to manage the burden of real responsibility–not just for how the USA will look, but also the whole world, in four years’ time.” Slovak as well as Czech politicians also echo some in the European Union who speculate that Europe will have to take on more responsibility for its own defense, in light of Trump’s appeal to American isolationism. See http://spectator.sme.sk/c/20379694/reactions-of-slovak-politicians-to-us-election-results.html?ref=njctse&piano_t=1. Legislative Defeat for Orbán 9 November 2016Hungarian lawmakers failed to muster the two-thirds majority required to pass a constitutional amendment that would have barred the settlement of migrants in Hungary. The Socialist party, the Greens, and Jobbik, which is a far-right party, did not vote, but three independents deprived Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of the support he needed. The head of Jobbik did not lead his party in supporting the constitutional amendment, even though he agreed with it, because he objects to the government’s stance on giving wealthy individuals Hungarian citizenship. See https://euobserver.com/migration/135818. Foiled Coup in Montenegro 9 November 2016Montenegran authorities arrested 20 Serbs, including a former commander of Serbia’s special police forces, and others over an alleged coup attempt planned that was to take place during the 16 October national election. A Montenegran special prosecutor for organized crime revealed, on 6 November, that the plot involved assassinating the Montenegran prime minister and installing a pro-Kremlin coalition government. Among the organizers were Serbs, Montenegrans, and Russians, but there does not appear to be any evidence of direct Russian state involvement. The Russians involved in the plot likely have returned to Russia, possibly through Serbia. A large portion of the Montenegran population is supportive of Russia and is hesitant about joining NATO and the European Union. See http://www.dw.com/en/russians-behind-montenegro-coup-attempt-says-prosecutor/a-36284714; and http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/montenegro-s-prosecution-says-nationalists-from-russia-behind-coup--11-06-2016. Bulgarian Presidential Elections 8 November 2016On 6 November, Rumen Radev, whom many consider to be an advocate of Russia, has won the first round of presidential elections in Bulgaria. The current prime minister, Boyko Borisov, has said that he will resign if his candidate, Tsteska Tsacheva, who came in second, does not win the run-off election on 13 November. See http://www.dw.com/en/opposition-candidate-rumen-radev-leading-in-bulgaria-presidential-elections/a-36284829. In addition to the presidential election, the voters decided on a referendum of three questions: a reduction in the financial support for political parties, compulsory voting, and a shift to a majority voting system. All three questions won a majority of votes, but the decision is not binding because of low voter turnout. Nevertheless, the legislature will have to consider and vote on all three questions. See http://www.novinite.com/articles/177268/Bulgaria+Referendum+Turnout+Falls+Short+of+Threshold+to+Make+Result+Binding. Poland Dismissed EU Criticisms 2 November 2016Poland’s TVN24 has released the Polish government’s response to the European Union’s accusation that Poland is taking steps that thwart justice and threatening the rule of law. The government’s position is that the EU has not followed the proper protocol in handling the matter and that it has no right to interfere in Polish affairs. The government publicly issued similar responses. The three-month deadline for the Polish government to resolve the outstanding issues, regarding the Constitutinoal Tribunal and the media, have past, and Poland may lose its voting rights in EU institutions. See http://www.tvn24.pl/zdjecia/stanowisko-polski,53418.html (in Polish); and http://www.politico.eu/article/beate-szydlo-eu-law-and-justice-poland-rejects-commissions-rule-of-law-request/. Trump and The Kremlin–More information 2 November 2016Foreign governments always have tried to influence American elections, and this year is no exception, aside from the publicity about the dealings Donald Trump may have had with the Kremlin. The latest information comes from a former foreign spy who specialized in Russian affairs and now works for a private corporation. He has supplied the FBI with documents that tie Trump and his associates to the Kremlin in a number of ways. The FBI has not released any information about what they are doing with the evidence or whether they believe it is credible. See http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/10/veteran-spy-gave-fbi-info-alleging-russian-operation-cultivate-donald-trump. Wallenberg’s Official Death Date 2 November 2016The Swedish government has declared that Raoul Wallenberg (born in 1912), the Swedish diplomat who saved Hungarian Jews from transport to the death camps, died on 31 July 1952. The date the Soviet government had given for his death was 1947. At the end of the Second World War, like many individuals that the Soviets considered undesirable, Wallenberg received an invitation for an interview with Soviet authorities who arrested and interred Wallenberg in the famous Gulag camp system. See https://www.thelocal.se/20161031/sweden-declares-official-date-of-death-for-holocaust-hero. NATO Strengthening Its Forces 27 October 2016NATO will augment its forces in the Baltic states, Poland, and Romania. Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States are contributing personnel to augment troops from the countries in the region. The troops, which will number into the thousands, will serve as a deterrent to recent Russian displays of strength in the region. See https://euobserver.com/foreign/135681. Montenegro’s Long-time Leader Has Resigned 27 October 2016Milo Đukanović, who has been in the leadership of Montenegro for a generation, has resigned. He has been accused of fostering corruption, and he stated that he hopes that his resignation will strengthen Montenegro’s chances for entering the European Union and NATO. Đukanović’s party won October’s parliamentary elections but must build a coalition to rule. On the day of the elections, there were arrests connected with an alleged coup, and Đukanović claims that some of his opponents, who do not want Montenegro to enter the EU and NATO, have Russian sentiments and backing. See http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/27/world/europe/montenegro-milo-djukanovic-resigns.html?_r=0. Brady, the Dalai Lama, Herman, and Zeman 25 October 2016George Brady, a Czech immigrant living in Canada and a Holocaust survivor whose story inspired the film Inside Hana's Suitcase (2008), may have been scheduled to receive the Karel Kramář Memorial Medal, in this case for his contribution to Holocaust remembrance, on 28 October, the celebration of the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918. His nephew, Daniel Herman, who is the Czech minister of culture, claimed that the president’s office told him not to meet with the Dalai Lama, during the latter’s recent visit to the Czech Republic to attend Forum 2000, because it will harm the Czech president’s efforts to improve relations with China. Were he not to heed the warning, his uncle, Brady, would not receive the award. Herman met with the Dalai Lama, and afterward the minister of finance, Andrej Babiš, stated that the Hrad dropped plans for giving Brady the award. Herman publicly accused Zeman of putting pressure on him, regarding the meeting, but the president’s office stated that Brady was not on the list for the award. Now, there is news that Brady will receive the medal from the Czech prime minister. Because of Zeman’s actions, several major political parties will not participate in the ceremonies at the Hrad. Furthermore, the Hrad announced that the Chinese cancelled their participation in the upcoming Czech-China Forum because of the meeting that Herman and the vice premier had with the Dalai Lama. See http://www.reuters.com/article/us-czech-president-medal-idUSKCN12L286; http://www.radio.cz/cz/rubrika/zpravy/top-09-kdu-csl-a-ods-na-hradni-oslavy-nepujdou (in Czech); http://www.radio.cz/cz/rubrika/zpravy/cesko-cinske-forum-bylo-podle-hradu-zruseno-kvuli-dalajlamovi (in Czech); http://www.radio.cz/en/section/news/prime-minister-to-present-george-brady-with-kramar-medal (in Czech). The Traditional Left’s Decline in Europe 25 October 2016Sheri Berman, a professor of political science at Barnard College, wrote a article for The Washington Post about the loss of support for parties of the left in Europe and the impact of this phenomenon on politics in individual countries. The alternatives for voters are neoliberal, far-right, and far-left parties, and according to Berman,
New Croatian Government 25 October 2016On 19 October, several weeks after the September elections, Croatia has a new government that is a coalition of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and Most (Bridge), under the leadership of Andrej Plenković. The previous government had the same two parties with Tihomir Orešković (technically an independent who cooperated with HDZ) as prime minister. Orešković did not stand in the September election. See http://www.dw.com/en/croatian-parliament-approves-new-government/a-36094689. The Fate of Hitler’s Birthplace 21 October 2016The Austrian government recently announced that they will appropriate and tear down the building in which Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau, Austria, on the Inn River. Now it seems that the plan is to renovate the building so that it is unrecognizable. Occasionally, neo-Nazi groups commemorate Hitler’s birth at the site, something that the government wants to eliminate. The current owner will not allow any changes to the building, such as changing walls or updating bathrooms. See http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37682298; and http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/17/498293151/austria-decides-to-tear-hitlers-house-down. Protests in Hungary 17 October 2016Thousands of people protested in Hungary against the closure of Népszabadság, which remains off the news stands. See https://www.yahoo.com/news/thousands-part-anti-government-protest-hungary-154329449.html. Montenegran Elections 17 October 2016The Social Democrats won Montenegro’s election, but they have lost their coalition partners and do not have enough votes to rule alone. Meanwhile, opposition parties claim that they can form a government. At this point, the president is to call on the largest party to form a government. Should that prove impossible, an alternative combination, without the Socialists, could emerge. Part of the difficulty is that the leader of the socialists, Milo Đukanović, is in favor of bringing Montenegro into NATO, a step that requires only the country’s ratification. Many in Montenegro, however, do not want to join NATO, which bombed the country in 1999. See http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37672752. Czech Senate Elections 16 October 2016The Czech Senate elections took place in two rounds, on 7-8 and then 14-15 October. There were 27 seats in the race, and the victor, with nine seats, was the Christian Socialist party, which is a junior partner the ruling coalition but now is the second strongest party in the upper house. The Social Democrats gained only two seats, and center-right ANO won three seats. The results suggest that the Social Democrats, who have the strongest party in the government, may have difficulties in the upcoming October 2017 election to the Chamber of Deputies. See http://www.reuters.com/article/us-czech-election-idUSKBN12F0OC?il=0; and http://www.rozhlas.cz/zpravy/politika/_zprava/postrehy-k-volbam-tabery-volici-se-spojili-proti-ano-hartman-zpravy-od-bazenku-volice-nepresvedcily--1659959 (in Czech). The final results still are not posted on the website of the Ministry of the Interior at http://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/volby-do-senatu-parlamentu-cr-159583.aspx (in Czech). The biographies of the new senators ate at http://www.rozhlas.cz/zpravy/politika/_zprava/co-vite-o-novych-senatorech-podivejte-se-na-profily-lidi-kteri-budou-rozhodovat-za-vas--1659977 (in Czech). Michal Kováč (1930-2016) 13 October 2016The former president of Slovakia, Michal Kováč, died on 5 October, and his state funeral took place, in Bratislava, on 13 October. Kováč was the minister of finance for the Slovak portion of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, and upon independence, he became the first president of Slovakia, a position he held from 1993 until 1998. Although he had been a member of the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), he became an opponent of its leader, Vladimír Mečiar (born 1942), who, as prime minister in 1992-1994 and 1994-1998, began building an illiberal democratic regime in Slovakia. In 1994, Kováč was instrumental in replacing Mečiar’s government, but Mečiar came back to power, after the 1994 elections. In 1995, the retribution against Kováč became so intense that members of the Slovak secret services kidnapped Kováč’s son, who was wanted in Germany for financial misdealings (the Germans eventually dropped the charges), taking him to Austria. When Mečiar served as acting president, after Kováč’s term had expired and the legislature had failed to elect a new president, he pardoned those who had been involved in the kidnapping, eliminating the possibility of their prosecution. Kováč ran for the presidency in the 1999 election, the first time Slovaks directly elected their head of state, but he withdrew from the election, which Mikuláš Dzurinda (born 1955) succeeded in winning. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/michal-kovac-slovakias-first-president-dies-at-86/2016/10/05/a0b53c42-8b3a-11e6-8cdc-4fbb1973b506_story.html. Hitler’s Early Autobiography 12 October 2016Scholars long assumed that Adolf Hitler: Sein Leben seine Reden (1923), published without an author or editor, was the work of the one-time conservative author Adolf-Viktor von Koerber (1891-1969), but the Scottish professor of history and international affairs, Thomas Weber, at the University of Aberdeen, maintains that the author was actually Adolf Hitler. One possibility is that Hitler wrote the text, and another is that he provided material to von Koerber to edit. Weber based his conclusion on evidence he found in von Koerber’s papers, which are at the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, South Africa, the country where von Koerber lived out the last months of his life. The noted Central European historian, Charles S. Maier, of Harvard University, called the discovery “plausible.” It proves that Hitler had decided to build his popular image two years before releasing the first volume of his Mein Kampf (1925 and 1926). See http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/world/europe/early-book-praising-hitler-may-have-been-written-by-hitler.html?_r=0. Timothy Snyder on Babi Yar 12 October 2016Commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of Babi Yar, where the Nazis killed 30,000 Jews, dumping their bodies into a ravine, Timothy Snyder, of Yale University, spoke with RFE/RL. The interview is available at http://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-babi-yar-historian-snyder-tragedy-for-all/28022569.html. Népszabadság Still Shuttered 11 October 2016The left-leaning Népszabadság remains closed. As its editors and many others are trying to determine why, the evidence becomes ever more suspicious. The CEO of Mediaworks, which owns the newspaper, received his appointment, closed the newspaper, and resigned, all in the course of two days. It also appears that, in August, Mediaworks took out a loan, using Népszabadság as collateral, but the lender, MKB Bank, through a transfer of ownership in July, appears to have ties to Viktor Orbán and the governor of the Central Bank of Hungary. As a result, the employees of Népszabadság cannot purchase the newspaper and cannot use the name to start another media outlet. The journalists are contemplating legal action, which, in a democracy, likely would unravel the mysteries of the financial dealings and the newspaper’s closing, but Hungary no longer qualifies as a democracy. In the meantime, one of Hungary’s most important sources of news remains muted. See http://budapestbeacon.com/economics/strange-transactions-amongst-mkb-shareholders/36568; and https://euobserver.com/political/135444. Hungary: How to Manage the Media in an Illiberal Democracy 10 October 2016When talking about taking power in East Germany, the communist leader Walter Ulbricht (1893-1973) stated, “everything has to look democratic, but everything has to be controlled by us.” It appears that Viktor Orbán learned that lesson well. In shuttering Hungary’s left-of-center newspaper, Népszabadság, on 8 October, he had the management claim that they were closing down the print and online operations to reconsider the operation, in light of economic losses. The notice on its website, http://nol.hu/, cited specific economic concerns. It indicated that the newspaper just moved into a new cost-efficient building, which did not result in enough savings, in light of declining readership. It also noted that the Austrian owner of the newspaper owns several other regional newspapers, but it did not indicate if any of those also had to close. In reality, the evidence is strong that Orbán’s regime ordered the closure, especially after the newspaper began investigating a member of the ruling Fidesz part for corruption and opposed the government’s referendum regarding migrants entering Hungary. On the newspaper’s Facebook page for 8 October, specifically https://www.facebook.com/nolhu/posts/10154438327331007, there appeared the following statement:
The original read:
For information about the situation from the BBC, see http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37596805. Deutsche Welle reported the story at http://www.dw.com/en/anti-orban-paper-stops-the-presses-in-hungary/a-35997642. Russia: How to Manage an Authoritarian Democracy 7 October 2016Russia is democratic, and its recent elections provided a reasonably accurate picture of the support of the voters, giving United Russia half of the legislative seats. In reality, though, the state administration, in the hands of United Russia, maintains democracy while curbing expression through a number of mechanisms. The suppression of opposition parties and low voter turnout ensure United Russia electoral victories, when only about a quarter of the population are supportive of the policies of Vladimir Putin. One of the means of stemming the rise of opposition parties is the arrest and imprisonment of those who express their opinion in public or on the Internet, thus halting civic discussions of issues before they gain any traction. Two articles in the free version of The New Eastern Europe discuss these matters. The first is an interview with Lev Gudkov, who is the editor-in-chief of the journal The Russian Public Opinion Herald and the director of the Levada Analytical Center, which recently has been placed on the list of foreign organizations, in order to restrict its ability to operate. It is available at http://neweasterneurope.eu/interviews/2142-there-is-no-alternative-to-united-russia. The second is an article about political prisoners. An analysis of the growing trend of political prisoners in Russia is at http://neweasterneurope.eu/articles-and-commentary/2139-a-new-generation-of-russian-political-prisoners. Georgians To Have EU Visa-Free Travel 6 October 2016 UPDATE!The Council of the European Union has granted Georgians visa-free travel in the EU, as soon as the EU can devise a policy for suspending visa-free travel for countries that abuse the privilege. The decision allows Georgians to travel in the EU for up to 90 days, within a 180-day period, without a visa. Three other countries are awaiting visa-free travel to the EU but are faced with issues that are causing delays: Ukraine, where corruption is still a major problem; Kosovo, which has a relatively minor border dispute to settle with Montenegro; and Turkey, which has met most of the requirements but refuses to make certain changes, supposedly because of internal security. For the decision of the Council of the EU, see http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2016/10/05-visas-georgia/. UPDATE! 7 October 2016 Since Georgia is holding parliamentary elections on 8 October, the timing of the EU decision to award visa-free travel to Georgians may have been intentional, something that observers have speculated for some time, in order to strengthen Georgian politicians who wish to strengthen their country’s ties to the West. There are several good sites that provide basic information about the election: https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/russia/factbox-georgias-parliamentary-election-313719.html; https://jamestown.org/program/ahead-of-parliamentary-elections-georgian-establishment-descends-into-political-mudslinging/#.V9wHQPl96Uk; and https://jamestown.org/program/georgian-political-field-fragments-ahead-of-the-2016-parliamentary-elections/. Law Suits: The Next Phase in Solving the Migrant Question 5 October 2016The Swedish foreign minister has threatened to take Hungary before the European Court of Justice for not accepting asylum applications, in accordance with the Dublin Regulation, which states that asylum seekers must register their request for asylum in the first country they enter. Hungary claims that Greece should process the claims, but migrants often succeed in traveling deeper into the European Union before registering. Austria also has threatened to sue Hungary about accepting migrants. Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, still maintains that he will change Hungary’s constitution to prevent the European Union from settling migrants in Hungary without the approval of the Hungarian parliament. See https://euobserver.com/migration/135367; http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-austria-hungary-idUSKCN11D0JV; and http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-europe-migrants-hungary-referendum-idUKKCN1213Q5. Background to Denial 5 October 2016In 1996, after having publishing a book about Holocaust denial, the Emory historian Deborah E. Lipstadt found herself caught in a libel suit that David Irving, a British historian, brought against her. She won the case and wrote a book about the experience, which served as the basis for the film Denial, which Mick Jackson directed and Bleecker Street released at the end of September. Lipstadt talked about her experiences with Marc Parry, in an article for the Chronicle of Higher Education, that is available at http://www.chronicle.com/article/A-Holocaust-Historian-s/237959/. Polish Protest 3 October 2016Thousands of women are protesting in Warsaw and elsewhere in Poland against a proposed law that will strengthen further the country’s already strict abortion law. It effectively will prevent examining the health of the fetus and will authorize jail imprisonment for women who have had abortions and doctors who have performed them. Events are taking place in other European cities in support for the Polish women’s efforts. See http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37540139. Is Zeman Serious? 3 October 2016On 2 October, the Financial Times broke the story that the Czech president, Miloš Zeman, recommended that the European Union accept legitimate asylum seekers from the Eastern Mediterranean but deport all economic migrants to an uninhabited island in Greece or North Africa. The Greek government would cover the cost, according to Zeman, in return for debt reduction. Zeman was speaking at the Rhodes Forum, which took place on the Island of Rhodes, Greece. The forum’s organizers have close ties to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, particularly Vladimir Yakunin, who is on the American and Australian list of sanctions because Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Because of the conference, Zeman did not attend the funeral of Shimon Peres. During an interview in Prague, the foreign minister of the Czech Republic, Lubomír Zaorálek, stated that the Czech government does not support Zeman’s position. One must not take Zeman’s statements too seriously, and they often are in conflict with the official policy of the Czech government. Recently, Zeman announced his support for Donald Trump in the American presidential election. He has supported eliminating sanctions against Russia and defends Russian interests in the eastern part of Ukraine. Many Czechs object to Zeman’s actions and statements, such as when he apparently was inebriated at certain public functions and when he proclaimed that smoking is not harmful. On several occasions, Zeman issued remarks that were opposed to official government policy, and the government had to distance itself from Zeman. See http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8bae2ec6-8725-11e6-bbbe-2a4dcea95797.html?siteedition=intl; http://zpravy.idnes.cz/rozstrel-prezident-milos-zeman-dno-/domaci.aspx?c=A160920_090500_domaci_pku; and http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1126672097-otazky-vaclava-moravce/216411030501002/. Hungarian Referendum on Migrants Invalid 3 October 2016To the question "do you want the European Union to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?,” 98.34 percent of Hungarian voters answered “no” (1.66 percent voted “yes”). That, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed, is a victory. The difficulty is that only 43.39 percent of the electorate voted, and a turnout of 50 percent was required to make the referendum valid. A total of 6.27 percent of the ballots were invalid, which is a small victory for the Two-tailed Dog party’s effort to spoil the referendum. Orbán now wants to change the Hungarian constitution to reflect what he referred to as a victory, and since his party controls the legislature, it is likely that he will accomplish his goal. See http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37528325; and http://www.valasztas.hu/en/ref2016/481/481_0_index.html. 2017 Central European Tour 1 October 2016Dr. Daniel E. Miller, the author of this website and professor of history at the University of West Florida, in Pensacola, will be the guide of a sixteen-day tour of Europe, from 4 to 20 July 2017. The organizer, Lenka Kocková, of Aura Prague Guides, has planned an itinerary that will take participants to Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The tour will begin with a three-day stay in Cracow, Poland, and one day will be devoted to the nearby Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Afterwards, a charter coach will take the group to the Tatry Mountains of Slovakia, where they will have the opportunity to hike along the tree line, visit the shops and restaurants in the mountain resort, or take the narrow-gauge railway to the city of Poprad, nestled at the foot of the Tatry Mountains. Afterward, the group will spend a day in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Then it will be on to Vienna, where there will be ample time to visit museums and other attractions. The final stop will be Prague, Czech Republic, where visitors will tour the Prague Castle, along with St. Vít Cathedral, and stroll the historic streets of a city that Europe’s wars of the last century have spared.  The price of the tour is $2950 and includes three- or four-star hotels, all breakfasts, eight other meals, ground transportation by private coach between each of the venues, certain local transportation allowances, and admissions to museum complexes in several locations. Participants will arrange their own airfare and cover additional meals. Individuals, families, and friends can join the tour. Over the years that Dr. Miller has led such tours, the youngest participant has been 18 years old, and the oldest have been in their middle 70s. College and university students also are welcome, and Dr. Miller can arrange to provide three or six graduate or undergraduate credits for the tour. He also will work with students from institutions other than the University of West Florida either to provide them with transfer credits or to cooperate with professors at their institutions to give them credits from their own schools. For more information, contact Dr. Miller at miller-dem@CentralEuropeanObserver.com or check on the link here. Face Coverings Banned in Bulgaria 1 October 2016On 29 September, Bulgaria joined such countries as France and Belgium when it passed a law that banned full face coverings, including the burqa and niqab. Although a minority Turkish political party objected to the new law, only a small fraction of Bulgarian citizens, mainly some Roma women, wear the head covering. |
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