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-The almost incomprehensible intensity of Prague’s anti-Castro role has caused a number of EU officials to find it a “strange” kind of thing, with one senior official terming the Czech’s total obsession with Cuba’s derelictions as “poisoning the EU well” and almost “monomaniacal"
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The question remains, why an admittedly bitter experience under Soviet-bred hegemony has transformed some Czech officials, from President Havel down, into veritable fanatics when it comes to nailing Cuba whenever and wherever external conditions will allow. Almost uniquely of all the countries that once suffered a communist regime (aside from perhaps Slovakia), the Czechs have aggressively adopted the cliché that a convert to Catholicism will tolerate none of the slack frequently found in the behavior of born members of the faith. As a result, the Czech Republic’s anti-Castro hypertrophy adds little to the possibility of a constructive debate concerning Cuba, other than providing a Bush administration-lite quality to the mix. Today, the Czech Republic is principally known internationally, as well as within the EU, for a muscular antipathy towards Castro as the main characteristic of its diplomacy. It brings an almost frighteningly intense degree of faith to a cause it so passionately upholds, meanwhile bringing disrepute upon its chancery for its anti-Castro rants and self-righteousness. Even more so, the particularly murky relationship that Prague has with a number of chest-beating NGOs and U.S.-Cuban exile groups who have demonstrated almost unique skills in raiding the U.S. Treasury for funding their questionable activities and high-life stake, as well as surrogate intelligence agencies like the NED (whose own credentials do not stand up to even casual scrutiny), need a good deal of further examination.
• Prague allies itself with some questionable partners to advance its cause.
• Brussels is unable to break away from Prague’s obsessively negative role on relations with Cuba, in spite of attempts to the contrary and Spain’s best efforts.
• With former Czech President Václav Havel’s ardent backing, millions of dollars in Czech funds are available to finance an anti-Castro offensive which is also being joined by a Prague-led coalition.
• The Czech financial attack is accompanied by at least sixty million dollars in U.S. public grants and an additional Helms-Burton slush fund to finance a number of Cuban-American groups with close connections to the White House, plus additional appropriations from the EU.
• The Czech Republic today is the Mother Church for neo-con and radical right-wingers, who specialize in financing ultra-conservative NGOs, including suspect Cuban exile groups, several of which have in the past been connected to terrorist activities, as Prague works to terminate Castro’s rule.
• Czech officials can neither forgive nor ever forgot Cuba’s inexcusable conduct regarding the Prague Spring in 1968, but that tragic event – when Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia – is long gone and it’s time to put diplomacy to work in order to achieve democratization.
• Prague-Havana diplomatic relations ended in 1993 and today the Czech Republic frequents a tough neighborhood full of questionable associates.
Here you can find the whole article
-The almost incomprehensible intensity of Prague’s anti-Castro role has caused a number of EU officials to find it a “strange” kind of thing, with one senior official terming the Czech’s total obsession with Cuba’s derelictions as “poisoning the EU well” and almost “monomaniacal"
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The question remains, why an admittedly bitter experience under Soviet-bred hegemony has transformed some Czech officials, from President Havel down, into veritable fanatics when it comes to nailing Cuba whenever and wherever external conditions will allow. Almost uniquely of all the countries that once suffered a communist regime (aside from perhaps Slovakia), the Czechs have aggressively adopted the cliché that a convert to Catholicism will tolerate none of the slack frequently found in the behavior of born members of the faith. As a result, the Czech Republic’s anti-Castro hypertrophy adds little to the possibility of a constructive debate concerning Cuba, other than providing a Bush administration-lite quality to the mix. Today, the Czech Republic is principally known internationally, as well as within the EU, for a muscular antipathy towards Castro as the main characteristic of its diplomacy. It brings an almost frighteningly intense degree of faith to a cause it so passionately upholds, meanwhile bringing disrepute upon its chancery for its anti-Castro rants and self-righteousness. Even more so, the particularly murky relationship that Prague has with a number of chest-beating NGOs and U.S.-Cuban exile groups who have demonstrated almost unique skills in raiding the U.S. Treasury for funding their questionable activities and high-life stake, as well as surrogate intelligence agencies like the NED (whose own credentials do not stand up to even casual scrutiny), need a good deal of further examination.
• Prague allies itself with some questionable partners to advance its cause.
• Brussels is unable to break away from Prague’s obsessively negative role on relations with Cuba, in spite of attempts to the contrary and Spain’s best efforts.
• With former Czech President Václav Havel’s ardent backing, millions of dollars in Czech funds are available to finance an anti-Castro offensive which is also being joined by a Prague-led coalition.
• The Czech financial attack is accompanied by at least sixty million dollars in U.S. public grants and an additional Helms-Burton slush fund to finance a number of Cuban-American groups with close connections to the White House, plus additional appropriations from the EU.
• The Czech Republic today is the Mother Church for neo-con and radical right-wingers, who specialize in financing ultra-conservative NGOs, including suspect Cuban exile groups, several of which have in the past been connected to terrorist activities, as Prague works to terminate Castro’s rule.
• Czech officials can neither forgive nor ever forgot Cuba’s inexcusable conduct regarding the Prague Spring in 1968, but that tragic event – when Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia – is long gone and it’s time to put diplomacy to work in order to achieve democratization.
• Prague-Havana diplomatic relations ended in 1993 and today the Czech Republic frequents a tough neighborhood full of questionable associates.
Here you can find the whole article
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