Welcome to Talkback, a forum to voice your opinion on today’s Czech news.
This week’s topic: How could Czechs profit from Obama’s presidency?
Last Tuesday, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of United States. Czech PM Mirek Topolánek wished Obama a firm hand, steady nerves, good luck and his predecessor’s resoluteness in dealing with complex issues. How could Obama’s resoluteness affect the Czech Republic?
Under the Bush administration, the Czech government signed treaties on stationing a part of the US defence shield on Czech soil. Now with Obama, the plan faces hurdles. Obama said in his election campaign he was committed to the project as long as it proves practical. But observers say the missile shield will likely be postponed given the economic and political issues Obama faces at home.
What Obama may expect from the Czech Republic though is its further collaboration in the Afghanistan mission. But this could be a problem as the opposition Social Democrats have so far successfully blocked efforts to extend the military mission. The Czech troops may therefore have to end the mission at the end of February.
Former US president George Bush received a lot of praise from PM Topolánek and President Václav Klaus. How might Czech-US relations evolve under Obama, who promises change?
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Kateřina Heilmannis a staff writer and translator at the Monitor. She
likes writing about cycling and culture.
You can reach her at [email protected]
