In 1901, when Jaroslav Hašek wandered into Galicia, this remote province of the Habsburg monarchy was synonymous with poverty and backwardness for his countrymen, and also the embodiment of all Polish vices. Czech officials, who settled there from the first decades of the nineteenth century, regarded any work assignment in this region almost as a…

Angelika Kuźniak, Papusza, Wydawnictwo Czarne, 2013 Joanna Kos-Krauze, Krzysztof Krauze, Papusza, Next Movie, 2013

A. J. Liehm: Názory tak řečeného Dalimila / The Opinions of Dalimil, Dokořán, Praha 2014, 680 pp.; Milan Uhde: Co na sebe vím / What I Have on Myself, Torst/Host, Praha/Brno 2013, 648 pp.; Petr Uhl (a Zdenko Pavelka): Dělal jsem, co jsem považoval za správné / I did What I Thought was Right Torst,…

Andrea Pitzer, The Secret History of Vladimir Nabokov, Pegasus Books 2013

The current crisis in Ukraine focused attention on Europe’s 25–30% dependence on Russian natural gas. Europeans pay three to seven times more for their natural gas than Americans. Prices vary according to level of dependency on Russia and the discounts it grants for political loyalty or denies for disobedience. The recent agreement between China and…

Having welcomed genetically modified cotton with much enthusiasm, many farmers in the West African country of Burkina Faso now regret that decision as the revenues haven’t met their expectations.

The ongoing moralization of business has led to a broader understanding of corporate responsibility since the privatization in East Central Europe

Since the October of 2011, when Vladimir Putin has announced his plans for the creation of the Eurasian Union, Russia has walked the path from a doubtable integrator to a status of a state that values submission rather than cooperation. The proposition to unite Eurasia’s economies today is viewed as a stillborn revanchist idea that…

The current orientation of Czech foreign trade has proved relatively effective in crisis. The question is whether a stronger orientation of the country’s economy towards countries outside Europe would be desirable or indeed, whether it should be actively encouraged.

We are coming,” says Nigel Farage, the leader of UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party), and Co-Chair of the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group in the European Parliament. As if to say that this is just his time, Farage comes up with the punch line directed straight to Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament:…

The main reason why the old mainstream parties have failed to contain the rise of populist movements is because they stand discredited in the eyes of sections of the electorate. They not only lack the political arguments to reverse this state of affairs but also the political language to communicate across the cultural divide.

The recent events in Ukraine have laid Europe’s inability to act in the face of hostile Russian action bare. Faced with military intervention at its doorstep, it has reached for the traditional toolkit of diplomacy—declarations and consultations. By renouncing the use of force or war, is Europe giving in to anyone who will not hesitate…

The entrenchment of authoritarianism in Central Asia might survive the demise of the first generation of leaders

The Crimean Anschluss has raised security concerns in the neighboring countries of Russia. Having a relatively large Russian speaking minority, Estonia certainly needs to analyze the situation and take appropriate measures.

NATO must demolish the remains of the Cold War border of the Eastern Block

In 2011, Adbusters magazine released the now famous poster in which a ballerina danced over the symbolic bull of the New York Stock Exchange, calling on activists to occupy Wall Street. At the top of the poster, one reads the line: “What is our one demand?” In a democracy without representation, all political movements have…

An interview with Roman Szporluk by Filip MemchesThe people who took part in the revolution on the Maidan were born after the downfall of the Soviet Union. Therefore, the situation got out of control of the elites— says Roman Szporluk in an interview with Filip Memches.

An Impossibly Beautiful Dream