March 1, 2003
NO BLANK CHECK:
Klaus victory deals blow to Czech coalition (Mark Andress, February 28 2003, Financial Times)The Czech governing coalition suffered a serious setback on Friday when Vaclav Klaus, a rightwing Eurosceptic, was elected president.Mr Klaus, 61, who served as prime minister until he was ousted under a cloud in 1997 after a financial scandal, won 142 votes out of 280 in the upper and lower chambers.
A staunch nationalist and populist, Mr Klaus will prove a prickly customer for the European Union as he seeks to defend national interests ahead of entry to the 15-nation club next year.
Jiri Pehe, a political analyst and adviser to former President Vaclav Havel, said: "Mr Klaus has no friends in Brussels and no friends in Washington. He has been very sceptical about supporting the United States on Iraq. The Americans also remember his statements about bombing Yugoslavia in 1999, when he openly supported Mr Milosevic."
At this moment in Europe's history, it seems more important to have anti-EU leaders than pro-U.S. ones.
MORE:
-ESSAY: Society and the Crisis of Liberalism: The liberal world order has been recetnly put under a new, strong and dangerous attack-by communitarianism (Vaclav Klaus, Summer 1998, Policy)
Mr. Klaus is a libertarian free-marketeer, strongly influenced by Hayek, Friedman, Reagan and Thatcher. Though he may not be pro-war, is strongly pro-US philosophically. He has followed a practice of giving big rewards to allies and supporters and stiffing opponents, and his opponents call this corruption. He has a big ego and wants to win politically, so he would be swayed if public opinion turned anti-U.S. But I would say he is the best ally we can hope to get out of the Czech Republic.
Posted by: pj at March 1, 2003 9:10 AMPJ;
Anyone who gives "big rewards to allies and supporters" is not some one who a true libertarian / free marketeer. That said, you're right that he's the best we can hope for and probably will work out well.
Not a "true" one, perhaps. If he were as "true" as our Libertarian Party, he'd probably get an equivalent fraction of the vote (though I suspect, if office were within reach, our Libertarians might prove equally corrupt). I do not know much about these corruption charges, but I have the impression that they do not directly involve taxpayer money -- rather access, or favoring in privatizations bidders who have supported his party. This kind of favoritism is practiced everywhere. Rarely do we see Democrats rushing to give rewards, whether tax cuts or subsidies or legal privileges, to Republican constituencies.
Posted by: pj at March 1, 2003 11:02 AMPJ;
Clearly. That's what I meant by "the best we can hope for". Despite the siren call of ideological purity, I strive to live in the real world (contra those associates of mine who scoff at the very idea...)