Final Word from Monday, January 5, 2026
Pres. Petr Pavel hasn't said anything publicly (as of 8am this morning) about the U.S. military attack on Venezuela. In a speech at Harvard in Sept., Pavel was tough on Russia and China, and if he now wanted to be consistent, he'd need to add the U.S. to the list of "authoritarian powers [that] speak the language of peace, sovereignty, dignity, dialogue and multilateralism ... but [whose] actions tell a whole different story - one that rejects the very principles we stand for: The U.N. Charter, international law and the peaceful resolution of conflicts." When push came to shove, Pavel decided he couldn't even stand up to Andrej Babiš and instead pulled the biggest political trick of last year by switching sides and appointing the Czech Trump as PM, despite his feeble conflict-of-interest solution. Pavel must now decide whether to appoint Filip Turek as environment minister, and it all comes down to how important Babiš and the Motorists are to the U.S.'s plans. Because Donald Trump doesn't allow anyone to get in his way. [ Czech Republic Univ. University president Nicholas Maduro United States capture abduction United Nations UN stike ]
Glossary of difficult words
when push comes to shove - the point at which a situation becomes critical, serious or difficult, forcing a final decision or action that reveals true priorities or character;
feeble - failing to convince or impress;
to come down to - to be or have the most important element.