The anniversary of 17 November is doubly embarrassing. Firstly, because we are celebrating the events of 1939, when many young Czech men were killed during protests against the German occupation. It is embarrassing because the regime that was militarily defeated in 1945 is now effectively in control of Europe. Unified control from one centre of power, absolute domination by Germany, stupid mystique instead of rationality… and hostility towards the Slavic peoples. That’s the EU today. Even the symbols of the SS have returned, via Ukraine.
Unified control from one centre of power, absolute domination by Germany, stupid mystique instead of rationality… That’s the EU today. Even the symbols of the SS have returned, via Ukraine.
And secondly, because we also commemorate the Czech defeat in the Cold War. Such a defeat has two sides. The positive side is that we got rid of an unpopular communist regime. The negative is that the defeated state is plundered, has to pay ransoms to the victors and has to endure all sorts of restrictions. We expected the Americans to be as generous to us after 1989 as they were to defeated Germany after 1945. That was a tragic mistake. As I explain in Notes on Elites, War and Peace, they are no longer capable of a friendly attitude toward the defeated, even if they wanted to. Meanwhile, there has been an economic regime change and they no longer have any allies or vassals. Just territory to be plundered.
