Agenda for Czech Foreign Policy 2017 is an annual publication of the AMO Research Center; we are publishing it for the eleventh time this year. The publication focuses on the priority areas of Czech foreign policy and includes both the evaluation of development and events in 2016, as well as specific recommendations for the next period of the year.
Czech diplomacy, according to its editors, was not able to adequately respond to current issues happening in the world. The Czech Republic dealt with important issues late, if at all, and Czech diplomacy was heard little when it came to what are typically strong areas of interest, such as the Eastern Partnership and human rights. The vacuum left by ČSSD, crippled by internal fighting, was filled by two men in particular: Miloš Zeman and Andrej Babiš.
Czech diplomacy cannot boast any striking efforts to stabilize the international environment – let alone a high-profile contribution last year. Not only did the Czech Republic fail to distinguish itself by taking a proactive approach in its foreign policy, it also, if anything, undermined existing partnerships through the often unpredictable and even obstructive actions of its foreign-policy officials and domestic political elite.
AMO further points out that instead of objective and informed debate on current challenges and attempts to exercise a positive bearing on society’s frame of mind, the politicians tapped into existing fears and abused foreign-policy issues to score points in the domestic political arena. “They should bear in mind that if they want to pilot the Czech Republic smoothly through this difficult period, encouraging a fearful society will be of no help to them in either the long or short term,” write Vít Dostál and Tereza Jermanová, Agenda’s editors.
You can download the publication here.
Czech language mutation is to be found here.
Agenda for Czech Foreign Policy is the annual publication on foreign policy of the Czech Republic and its priority areas which has been published by the AMO Research Center since 2007. It critically assesses the conduct of the Czech Republic on the international stage in given year and then offers particular policy recommendations for the next year.