Word: czechs
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...basic rule of politics is to avoid offending your allies. Apparently unaware of this tactic, the Czech Republic has decided to celebrate the start of its presidency of the European Union by commissioning a sculpture that is controversial to the point of insult. Entitled “Entropa” and mounted in the foyer of the EU, the eight ton monstrosity takes the form of a model kit, with pieces intended to humorously represent each member country. The humor lies in the shocking nature of the stereotypes selected—Italy, for example, is depicted as a football pitch...
...subtitle, for instance, is “Stereotypes are Barriers to be Demolished,” a play on the Czech EU presidency motto of “Europe without Barriers.” In the context of the sculpture’s divisive stereotypes, this transforms the Czech Republic’s noble goal into a foolish ambition to be mocked. The inflammatory images in “Entropa” cast a similarly negative light on other EU goals, such as unity and cooperation. Such “ironic” jibes can only create hostility and division...
Indeed, the sculpture has already met with disapproval. Bulgaria’s piece, a series of “Turkish” squat toilets, was hidden by cloth after Bulgaria’s ambassador to the EU protested and sent a note to the Czech government. Many other nations have been similarly offended by its crude suggestions. Portugal is represented as a cutting board with three pieces of meat in the shape of its former colonies, the UK is absent as a reference to its Euroskepticim, and some claim that Denmark, built of Legos, depicts faces similar to those...
...Russian Federation to flex its muscle in America’s neighborhood. Nor have Russian moves been limited to the Caribbean. The invasion of South Ossetia last summer and the Bush administration’s plan to construct a NATO-backed missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic are just two reminders of how tense Russo-American relations have become in the post-Soviet era. Instead of encouraging further tension in this relationship by fixating on the ideological character of the Castro regime, it is imperative that the United States defuse tensions in the Caribbean and limit...
...farce played out in Brussels, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek - the Czech Republic currently holds the E.U. presidency - and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were phoning Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, warning him that Gazprom and Russia faced the loss of reputation and revenues as Western customers looked elsewhere. The E.U. efforts were almost all aimed at the Russians rather than the Ukrainians. They also spoke with Ukrainian officials. It helps that the E.U. is Ukraine's largest aid donor. Ukraine is facing a financial meltdown, and recently asked for a $16.4 billion International Monetary Fund bailout. Gazprom, owing around...