Czech Foreign Policy in 2007–2009: Analysis
Czech Foreign Policy in 2007–2009: Analysis
Contributor(s): Michal Kořan (Editor)
Subject(s): Media studies, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Economic history, Political history, Economic policy, Environmental and Energy policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Political behavior, Politics and communication, Comparative politics, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
Published by: Ústav mezinárodních vztahů
Keywords: Czech Republic; 2007-2009; foreign policy; Media context; Security dimension; Visegrad Cooperation; Germany; USA; Russia; Balkan region; Middle East; Sub-Saharan Africa; Human rights; Economic policy;
Summary/Abstract: What was the Czech foreign policy like during the years 2007–2009 and why? The team of authors from the Institute of International Relations (IIR) and other partner institutions has been looking for answers to these questions for three consecutive years. For three years the IIR also has been producing Czech written thorough analysis of the Czech foreign policy. The book Czech Foreign Policy in 2007–2009: Analysis in-tends to become the first volume of regularly presented deep analyses of the Czech foreign policy in English which builds on the findings and analysis of the previous three Czech language analytical books and presents their synthesis. The English edition thus aims to offer a long-term and continual observation of the development of the Czech foreign policy in various areas: its ideational background, its concrete agenda and events that occurred in a given period, the influence and involvement of various actors and the overlap of the Czech foreign policy with the media and public spheres. These referential points are built into the structure of each chapter, so that the analysis enables the reader to differentiate and trace the various ways in which the Czech foreign policy is contemplated, produced, executed, implemented and reflected. This concept, among others, promises to disclose the changes in the process of the Czech foreign policy making with respect to different issues and different actual political contexts. As the issue area approach to the study of foreign policy suggests, a specific agenda tends to attract different sets of actors. Thus the process of foreign policy making is not constant and does not remain the same in regard to various issues and agendas. Our approach enabled us to enhance our ability to capture the mutual relationship between issues that have the potential to initiate political and media debates on the one hand and actual foreign policy making and execution on the other.
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-80-86506-90-6
- Page Count: 388
- Publication Year: 2010
- Language: English
The Political Context and the Making of the Czech Foreign Policy in 2007–2009
The Political Context and the Making of the Czech Foreign Policy in 2007–2009
(The Political Context and the Making of the Czech Foreign Policy in 2007–2009)
- Author(s):Michal Kořan
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Diplomatic history, Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:15-39
- No. of Pages:25
- Keywords:Czech Foreign Policy; 2007–2009; Czech government; Ministry of foreign affairs;
- Summary/Abstract:This chapter is an introduction to the political, conceptual and institutional context of the Czech foreign policy (CFP) in 2007–2009. The first part of the chapter will focus on the conceptual and political background of the CFP and it will be followed by an analysis of the involvement and the roles of the main actors.
The media Context of the Czech Foreign Policy in 2007–2009
The media Context of the Czech Foreign Policy in 2007–2009
(The media Context of the Czech Foreign Policy in 2007–2009)
- Author(s):Lenka Vochocová, Vlastimil Nečas
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Media studies, Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Politics and communication, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:40-55
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Media; politics; Czech Republic; foreign policy; 2007-2009;
- Summary/Abstract:The information revolution in the twentieth century had an essential impact on the ways of asserting political interests and influencing voters – not only during pre-election campaigns. It was particularly the massive onset of television in the second half of the last century which brought about a significant change in the relation between politics and the media, referred to as mediazation. Political or media studies are thus confronted with the question of the relation between the media and politics in the present-day western democracies. Theoretical as well as research works analysing this relation fall within the sphere of political communication and, in more general terms, the region of exploring the theories of media effects. A considerable number of diverse concepts have emerged as a result in the course of the systematic investigation of the manners in which the media have been influencing individuals and society (approximately since the end of the 1930s).
The European Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
The European Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
(The European Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Mats Braun, Vít Beneš
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Constitutional Law, Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
- Page Range:59-92
- No. of Pages:34
- Keywords:Czech Foreign Policy; European integration process; EU; The Lisbon Treaty;
- Summary/Abstract:During the years 2007–2009 the European integration process has had a big impact on the political agenda of the Czech Republic. The Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2009 provided the country with an administrative challenge as well as an opportunity to make the country visible within the EU. The presidency had an impact on the way European policy is handled within the Czech administration and was also a topic that attracted public interest to European affairs. The preparations for the presidency led to an upgrading of the work of the Committee for the EU, which is the body under the Czech government that set the long term priorities for the Czech work within the EU even if the Czech Republic has not presented a new strategic document concerning the long term orientation of the Czech Republic within the EU since 2004, when such a document was accepted by the then Social Democrat led coalition government. The governments in office have regularly presented their long-term positions on various fields of the integration process – i.e. the Europe 2020 strategy, EU budget reform, reforms of the common agricultural policy, etc. The increased importance of the European agenda can also be seen on the ever more frequent meetings of the Committee for the EU – a trend that was maintained even after the end of the presidency.
The Security Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
The Security Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
(The Security Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Vít Střítecký
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Environmental and Energy policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Political behavior, Politics and communication, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
- Page Range:93-111
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:Czech Foreign Policy; Security policy; Missile Defence; Afghanistan; Energy Security; NATO;
- Summary/Abstract:Since the Czech Republic joined the NATO in April 1999, the security agenda of the Czech foreign policy has never been discussed more than between the years 2007 and 2009. Apparently, the major issue at stake was the U.S. plan to build a component of the third pillar of the national missile defense on the Czech territory. The radar debate had significantly impacted both the foreign and the internal political agendas. The Czech diplomacy was involved in complicated negotiations with American partners and also became engaged in discussions over the missile defense issue in the EU and NATO and with Russia. Internally, the radar was established as an important topic of the regional and senate elections in 2008 and arguably influenced the results as the leftist challengers of the American plan swept out their rightist ruling opponents.
The Visegrad Cooperation, Poland, Slovakia and Austria in the Czech Foreign Policy
The Visegrad Cooperation, Poland, Slovakia and Austria in the Czech Foreign Policy
(The Visegrad Cooperation, Poland, Slovakia and Austria in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Michal Kořan
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Environmental and Energy policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Comparative politics, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:115-147
- No. of Pages:33
- Keywords:Czech foreign policy; Central Europe; Visegrad Group; Poland; Slovakia; Austria;
- Summary/Abstract:The Czech foreign policy (CFP) towards Central European countries will be analysed as a single (more or less) coherent dimension of the Czech foreign policy where the multilateral and the bilateral cooperation are closely intertwined. This chapter analyses the Czech Republic’s involvement in the Visegrad cooperation and its bilateral relations with Poland, Austria and Slovakia. However, to be sure, the next chapter (Vladimír Handl) analyses the CFP towards Germany, which, from the Czech foreign policy point of view, is considered to also be a part of Central Europe.
Germany in the Czech Foreign Policy
Germany in the Czech Foreign Policy
(Germany in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Vladimír Handl
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Economic policy, Environmental and Energy policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Military policy, Political behavior, Health and medicine and law, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
- Page Range:148-162
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Germany; Czech Foreign Policy; international security; economic relations; Military and Security Policy;
- Summary/Abstract:The Czech policy vis-a-vis Germany experienced mostly positive dynamics but also a lack of coherence. Existential interests were not at stake – on the contrary, they constituted a positive background for the relations: Czechs and Germans as allies guarantee each other’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The United States of America in the Czech Foreign Policy
The United States of America in the Czech Foreign Policy
(The United States of America in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Ondřej Ditrych
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Political behavior, Comparative politics, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:163-176
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:USA; Czech Republic; foreign policy; Human Rights;
- Summary/Abstract:According to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ annual assessment, the relations between Czech Republic and the U.S. have an outstanding and friendly character and ‘policies of both nations have a number of common elements in the area of security and in promotion of democracy and human rights’. While a useful point of departure, this diplomatic assessment relays little of the unprecedented dynamics relations between Prague and Washington have gained in the last few years. Increased activity in negotiating the inclusion of the Czech Republic into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program coupled with continuing international cooperation in the area of transition politics and promotion of human rights, the Czech Presidency in the EU Council (2009), and above all the issue of prospective deployment of a U.S. missile defense component (ground-based radar station) on the territory of Czech Republic meant that the relations have intensified and become ever more complex.
West European Countries in the Czech Foreign Policy
West European Countries in the Czech Foreign Policy
(West European Countries in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Mats Braun, Elsa Tulmets, Ondřej Ditrych
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Military policy, Political behavior, Politics and communication, Comparative politics, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
- Page Range:177-195
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:West European Countries; Czech Republic; foreign policy; Military Relations; Economic and Cultural Relations;
- Summary/Abstract:The Czech relations with countries covered in this chapter – both EU Member States and others (including microstates) – shared certain general characteristics. Without exception, they involved no issues that would be a subject of major controversy. Secondly, with but a few exceptions, these relations were conducted within a network, or at least through a network, of the EU multilateral frame. The reason for the dominance of the EU framework in the conduct of bilateral relations is primarily the importance of the political process at the EU level both for Member States and their West European neighbours due to a high degree of mutual interdependence and the increasing scope of EU’s allocative and distributive policies. Several government officials throughout the period covered in this volume estimated that up to 80% of the relations of Czech Republic with those countries take place at the EU level. However, this does not result in a decline of the bilateral dimension of mutual relations, as could be expected, but rather in their conduct in a new environment of a burgeoning political system, where the need to negotiate issue coalitions increases. Bilateral negotiations remain an important diplomatic means of this ‘permanent congress’. The last shared feature of Czech foreign policy towards the countries covered in this chapter is that it generally took place in conditions of a political pluralism, which was made possible by the countries’ location within the EU framework. The process of Czech foreign policy involved a considerable number of government actors – all of which should theoretically act in the public interest – without the mediation by traditional diplomacy and conduct through its standard channels. This new pluralism represents one of the central challenges for Czech foreign policy, since without proper coordination it leads to a suboptimal use of (necessarily limited) resources in realizing public interest abroad.
Russia in the Czech Foreign Policy
Russia in the Czech Foreign Policy
(Russia in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Petra Kuchyňková, Petr Kratochvíl
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Economic policy, Environmental and Energy policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
- Page Range:196-212
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:Russia; Czech Republic; Foreign policy; Economic and Trade Relations;
- Summary/Abstract:Czech-Russian relations pose quite a controversial topic in the Czech political debate. They may even be characterized by a long-term obsession with Russia on the part of the Czechs. Russia is often represented negatively in the Czech political debate and even as a threat to national security. Here a gradual shift may be observed from seeing Russia as a Soviet-type danger to seeing it as the ‘new Russia’ – a rising power which still has strong interests in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. In recent years a second shift is observable – that from viewing Russia as a military threat to viewing it as a colleague in matters of economy and energy. This second shift is quite important because Russia is also often portrayed positively in the Czech political debate. More specifically, it is portrayed as an opportunity, particularly as an economic opportunity. The so-called positive discourse about today’s Russia in the Czech political debate is also often accompanied with relatively little attention being devoted to the other post-Soviet countries, even though the potential in this respect is quite great (for instance, in the case of Ukraine).
The Countries of the Eastern Dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy and Czech Foreign Policy
The Countries of the Eastern Dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy and Czech Foreign Policy
(The Countries of the Eastern Dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy and Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Elsa Tulmets
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Comparative politics, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
- Page Range:213-230
- No. of Pages:18
- Keywords:Czech Foreign Policy; Multilateral issues; EU Policy; Czech EU Presidency; Ukraine; Belarus; Moldova; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Economic Actors;
- Summary/Abstract:Since the beginning of the 1990s, the countries of ‘Eastern Europe’ situated between the European Union (EU) and Russia, which were offered in 2003/2004 to beneficiate from the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), did not represent a long-term priority of the Czech Foreign Policy. As a matter of fact, until the Czech NATO and EU accessions, the successive governments particularly focused on the West. Thus, ‘Eastern Europe’ was, for many years, seen under the shadow of Russia. It interested only a limited group of people from administrations, think-tanks and civil society. Official governmental documents issued in the timeframe of 2007–2009, like the government Program Declaration1 and the governmental coalition agreement between the ODS, the SZ and the KDU-ČSL, contained only rare mentions to the Eastern partners. In general, they tended to link the countries of ‘Eastern Europe’ with the issue of EU enlargement. Nor was there any update of the Foreign Policy concept of 2003–2006, which would indicate the drawing of a stronger interest from the Czech side for the Eastern partners.3
The Balkan Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
The Balkan Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
(The Balkan Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Filip Tesař
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Comparative politics, Sociology of Culture, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:231-245
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Czech Republic; Foreign Policy; Balkan region; EU; NATO; Kosovo; Economic Relations;
- Summary/Abstract:The Czech foreign policy has been interested in the Balkans since its birth. Nevertheless, this interest was not very balanced: in the beginning, the Czech concerns were focused on Romania and, less evidently, on Bulgaria. Of the Western Balkan countries, the Czech foreign policy put Croatia first, followed by Serbia. Despite considerable differences in the approaches towards individual countries, at the general level a regional approach formally prevailed. This approach was seriously applied after the Czech accession talks started, but the four mentioned countries are still the main focus regarding strategic, contractual, economic and cultural ties, as well as development assistance, external relations of the Czech regions and towns, and non-governmental associations. Among them, the principal Czech partner is Romania. Bosnia-Herzegovina, despite some historical ties with the Czech Republic, is hindered by its slowgoing transition, which influenced, e.g. the development of the bilateral contractual relationship and the Czech FDI. If Greece, which before 2007 was the only Balkan EU member, can be counted as a member of one region together with the transition countries, it is rather distant in the Czech view as well. Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro are also quite distant countries in the Czech view, and Kosovo is the remotest one.
The Middle East, the Mediterranean and Afghanistan in the Czech Foreign Policy
The Middle East, the Mediterranean and Afghanistan in the Czech Foreign Policy
(The Middle East, the Mediterranean and Afghanistan in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Jaroslav Bureš
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Economic policy, Environmental and Energy policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Political behavior, Politics and religion, Comparative politics, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:246-274
- No. of Pages:29
- Keywords:Czech Republic; Foreign policy; Middle East; Afghanistan; Palestinian Question;
- Summary/Abstract:The Mediterranean and the Middle East, although they did not fall under the priorities of Czech foreign policy after 1989, had to be taken into account by the Czech Republic after it joined NATO and the EU due to the wider interest of the trans-Atlantic allies in regional stability and security. For this reason, issues like terrorism, immigration, the Middle East peace process, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, peacekeeping missions, and the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation were among the most frequently discussed topics in the Czech political scene during the 2000s. The Middle East agenda have affected our relations with allies and they have been the subject of home competition on left-right axis. The only long-term Czech interest relating to the region was the mainly rightist government’s attempt to reduce the Czech Republic’s one-sided dependence on imports of Russian oil and gas, which was demonstrated by the support for the Nabucco pipeline project during the Czech EU presidency.
The Far East in the Czech Foreign Policy
The Far East in the Czech Foreign Policy
(The Far East in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Rudolf Fürst
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Politics and communication, Comparative politics, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:275-285
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:Czech Republic; Foreign Policy; Far East; Economic Relations;
- Summary/Abstract:This chapter deals with the region of East Asia, namely the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Japan, the Korean Republic (South Korea), the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea), the Republic of China on Taiwan (ROC Taiwan), and includes also Mongolia and Vietnam. As East Asia lies far beyond the sphere of the specific priorities of the Czech foreign policy, the main concern of bilateral and multilateral ties is cooperation with booming Asian economies. However, such a long term prospect, which is parallel with similar prospects of all EU member countries, followed a common development with the former East Central European communist states, which were economically integrated within COMECON and politically dependent on the former Soviet Union’s Asian policies. Since 1989 and after the split of the Eastern bloc, Czechoslovakia, which was divided into the Czech Republic (ČR) and the Slovak Republic in 1993, developed its own autonomous Asian policy, which was no longer ideologically based and dependent on Moscow. Besides continual bilateral relations with East Asian communist states, the post-communist era thus brought new perspectives by establishing new relations with two new economically important partners – South Korea and Taiwan.
Sub-Saharan Africa in the Czech Foreign Policy
Sub-Saharan Africa in the Czech Foreign Policy
(Sub-Saharan Africa in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Ondřej Horký
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Political history, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Military policy, Political behavior, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:286-296
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:Sub-Saharan Africa; Czech Republic; Foreign policy; Bilateral Relations; Economic Relations;
- Summary/Abstract:The gap between the relevance of Sub-Saharan Africa in the Czech foreign policy and its relevance in EU external relations is larger than that of any other region of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa (here also abbreviated to ‘Africa’ if not specified other-wise) maintains tight political, military and economic relations with its former colonizers among the ‘old’ member states of the European Union, and it remains the primary target of the EU development policy. In contrast to that, its relative importance in the bilateral relations with the Czech Republic, including the number of diplomatic missions and priority countries of development cooperation, has been steadily decreasing.
The Latin American Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
The Latin American Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
(The Latin American Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Ondřej Slačálek
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Political history, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Political behavior, Politics and communication, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
- Page Range:297-308
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Czech Republic; Foreign Policy; Latin America; Czech Republic´s Presidency of the Council of the EU; Economic and Cultural Relations;
- Summary/Abstract:From the point of view of the Czech Foreign Policy (CFP), Latin America is considered as a region of rather marginal importance. Although there is a certain consensus on Latin America’s political significance and the opportunity for export, since 1989 the region has not been a priority of the Czech Republic’s foreign policy relations. This view of the Czech diplomacy is connected with the absence of conceptual documents. In fact, only few issues have seriously provoked political discords: namely Cuba and Venezuela (the latter mainly in the last few years). Both countries have been targets of criticism by influential Czech human right NGOs and the Czech diplomacy for a long time. On the other hand, a part of the Czech left still has the tendency to idealize left-wing governments in Latin America or to express some sympathy with them. These discords evoke the Cold War rhetoric on both sides (criticism in the light of human rights issues by the Czech right and also some left wing parties vs. advocacy of the regimes against U.S. interference on the part of the left). These disputes have referred not only to political issues of Latin America or Cuba, but to the role of identity and the historical experience of the participants or the comparative similarity of dictatorial regimes as well.
The Multilateral Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
The Multilateral Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
(The Multilateral Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Šárka Matějková, Veronika Bílková
- Language:English
- Subject(s):International Law, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Politics and communication, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
- Page Range:311-321
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:Czech Republic; Foreign Policy; UN; OSCE; International Law;
- Summary/Abstract:Taking into account its size, geographical position and historical experiences, it certainly comes as no surprise that the Czech Republic belongs among the proponents of multilateralism in its foreign policy. Yet, its taste for it is largely consumed by its membership in the European Union, the NATO and several international organizations of an economic nature (WTO, IMF, etc.). Other international fora, including the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the OSCE, remain somehow in the back-ground, often overshadowed by the three main topics on the agenda. The same applies to the CR’s relationship to international law. The Czech Republic generally supports respect for and further development of international law without turning it into a truly key topic on its agenda. Despite its attention being primarily oriented elsewhere, the Czech Republic has throughout 2007–2009 continued to take part in the activities of the UN, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE and in initiatives aimed at strengthening international law. Its accomplishments in all these spheres have been generally marked by two dominant trends: europeization and specialization.
The Economic Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
The Economic Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
(The Economic Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Štěpánka Zemanová, Jana Peterková
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Economic history, Political history, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:322-333
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Czech Republic; Foreign policy; economic policy;
- Summary/Abstract:The external economic relations of a state may be understood in two different ways – as a part of foreign policy or as an integral part of domestic economic policy. In the following text we focus on the first aspect – the economic dimension of the Czech foreign policy from 2007 till 2009. There is no doubt that this dimension of foreign policy or of external economic relations encouragement, sometimes also called economic diplomacy, plays an important role in the field of the external relations of the Czech Republic. Looking back at the last three years, we cannot say that there was any revolution in understanding, explanations or even administration performance in this area. But we can say that there was an important evolution in understanding what economic diplomacy is, which actors are involved in it and how important this area is for the whole state.
Human Rights in the Czech Foreign Policy
Human Rights in the Czech Foreign Policy
(Human Rights in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Šárka Matějková, Veronika Bílková
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:334-346
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Human Rights; Czech Republic; Foreign policy; Transformation Policy;
- Summary/Abstract:Since its creation in 1993, the Czech Republic has always ranked the promotion of human rights and spreading of democratic values among the priorities of its foreign policy. The period 2007–2009 was no exception in this regard. The country demonstrated its interest in human rights and democracy by fulfilling its obligations from international treaties, participating in the activities of international human rights bodies, struggling to reach its own thematic and territorial priorities, and realizing projects of the transition policy. Moreover, during the period of its Presidency in the Council of the EU in the first half of 2009, the Czech Republic sought to promote its own human rights priorities at the EU level and to gain the support of the other 26 EU states for them. Yet, the amount of political tasks, coupled with the necessity to look for com-promises and the accumulation of serious domestic problems, prevented the country from reaching this goal to its full satisfaction. Despite that, the period of the Presidency has brought valuable experiences, which, together with the change at the domestic political level, induced the country in the second half of 2009 to partly reassess the strategies and methods used in this area of foreign policy.
Development Cooperation in the Czech Foreign Policy
Development Cooperation in the Czech Foreign Policy
(Development Cooperation in the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Ondřej Horký
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
- Page Range:347-361
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Czech Republic; foreign policy; development cooperation; Quality of Aid;
- Summary/Abstract:To date there has been no academic yearbook on the Czech development cooperation, and this chapter on the ‘development dimension’ makes up a part of a book on the Czech foreign policy. Both of these facts are symptomatic of the relevance and characteristics of the ‘Foreign Development Cooperation’ of the Czech Republic. Firstly, the policy is considered as of little importance in the political and public spaces despite a substantial budget, compared to the other dimensions of foreign policy covered by this book. Secondly, the territorial and sectoral priorities of bilateral cooperation and the subsequent implementation by the Czech companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) make it a policy that is led rather by the domestic security and economic interests than by serious efforts to reduce poverty in the South.
The Cultural Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
The Cultural Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
(The Cultural Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy)
- Author(s):Jana Peterková
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Sociology of Culture, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
- Page Range:362-370
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:Czech Republic; Cultural policy; Foreign Policy; Cultural Agreements; UNESCO;
- Summary/Abstract:From one point of view, foreign cultural policy covers a cultural dimension of foreign policy on both bilateral and multilateral levels, and it belongs to the area of traditional diplomatic relations, thematically coming under the area of culture. The very visible means used in this dimension include mostly bilateral agreements on cultural cooperation. From another point of view, foreign cultural policy means cultural diplomacy, which can be seen as a part of public diplomacy and its practice. It is orientated mainly on a foreign public and wants to present the country’s own culture to other states and their public while creating a positive image of the state abroad through cultural activities. Such an image can help to achieve other political priorities precisely via helping to create a positive image and good reputation for the given country on the international scene.
Czech Foreign Policy: Ideologies, Prejudices and Co-ordination
Czech Foreign Policy: Ideologies, Prejudices and Co-ordination
(Czech Foreign Policy: Ideologies, Prejudices and Co-ordination)
- Author(s):Petr Drulák
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Geopolitics
- Page Range:371-384
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Czech Republic; Foreign Policy; geopolitics; NATO; EU; The Lisbon Treaty;
- Summary/Abstract:The previous chapters provide detailed insights into key areas of the Czech foreign policy in the period 2007–2009. This concluding chapter will analyse the most important foreign policy decisions and events with respect to some domestic factors of the Czech foreign policy making. Specifically, it will look into the most influential ideas shaping the Czech foreign policy and it will consider the perennial problem of the foreign policy coordination.