Final Word from Thursday, September 30, 2010



A day before outgoing Russian Ambassador Alexei Fedotov praised Václav Klaus in Právo for being the father of the "eastern vector" in Czech politics, Klaus wrote for publication in Právo that the CR doesn't need more visibility in the U.S. It's good, he said, that relations with the U.S. have returned to normal after a period of especially warm ties in the first half of the 1990's. Two days later, Gregory Feifer and Brian Whitmore of Radio Free Europe (which is funded by the U.S. Congress) detailed how Klaus is moving the CR ever closer to Russia. Their article also quoted Karel Schwarzenberg - who was between terms as foreign minister at the time - as saying that he doesn't think the U.S. cares a bloody damn about the Czechs. You can bet that anyone in Washington who cares an ounce about the Czechs took notice. Klaus is actually right: This kind of visibility the CR doesn't need more of.[Czech Republic United States of America Radio Liberty]

Glossary of difficult words

visibility - the distance one can see as determined by light and weather conditions; the degree to which something has attracted attention;

eastern vector - used here to mean a way of dealing with eastern countries such as Russia and China that assumes it is a mutually beneficial and interdependent relationship;

Radio Free Europe - a shorter version of the article appeared earlier as "The Velvet Surrender";

to care an ounce - to care (at least) a small amount;

to take notice - to pay attention; to show signs of interest.

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