Demonstrations against the missile defense radar facility / Demonstrace proti radarove zakladne

Wenceslav Square in Prague filled up yesterday with hundreds of demonstrators who oppose the planned building of the missile defense radar facility in Brdy. The missile defense system is supposed to protect against ballistic missile attacks from hostile states threatening Europe as well as the United States. While the Czech Republic is supposed to host the radar facility, Poland is a strong candidate for carrying the actual defense missiles. The public polls show that 3/5 of Czechs do not agree with the planned radar facility, whereas 3/4 of inhabitants are demanding referendum. As far as the political parties are concerned, the Communists and CSSD are currently considered to be the greatest advocates against the radar facility, while ODS, KDU-CSL and the Green party are much more open to discussion on this topic.

Czech translation further bellow –>

President Bush himself is planning a trip to Prague at the beginning of June to further discuss this topic with the Czech government ( http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/domov/index_view.php?id=254305). When Condoleezza Rice visited Prague back in April, she called the Czech Republic the “great ally” of the United States. She also said that they (USA) welcome the Czech government’s assistance to Iraq and Afghanistan. The foreign minister Karel Swartzenberg – a strong supporter of the missile defense radar construction – also recalled the American role in freeing Europe from Nazis in 1945. He further stated that ” that was 60 years ago or more, and now we have to confront the danger we have today.”(http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/20/america/NA-US-Czech-Republic.php). President Vaclav Klaus himself is also for building the radar defense station, but as he says, “lot of little details still need to be worked out before the whole process can begin.” (you can read the rest of the interview with V. Klaus at http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/23/czech_politics/1185/). After all of the research that I have done, it seems that the main factor that seems to be ruling Czech people’s minds is fear: fear of Russia, fear of nuclear fallout (which is just a myth by the way), fear of Iran, fear of change…I don’t think fear is a good motivator in this case. In many cases it acts as a detrimental force, which prevents one from doing what is right. One thing is for sure though: if the Communists are against it (are they against the radar facility or just anything that has to do with the United States???) then my basic instinct says to be for it.

If you have more questions about the missile defense system, go to the US Ambassy’s (in Prague) website at http://prague.usembassy.gov/md2_general.html

V Praze na Vaclavskem Namesti vcera demonstrovaly stovky odpurcu proti americke radarove zakladne, ktera by v budoucnosti mela stat na nynejsi opustene vojenske zakladne v Brdech. Tato radarova zakladna ma chranit jak Evropu, tak Ameriku od raketovych utoku z okolnich nepratelskych statu. Zatimco Cesko ma byt domovem pro jiz zmineny protiraketovy radar, Polsko je silnym kandidatem pro umisteni dodatecna sila s raketami. Pruzkum verejneho mineni ukazuje, ze 3/5 obyvatel se zakladnou nesouhlasi a 3/4 obyvatel se dozaduje referenda. Co se tyce parlamentich stran, komuniste a CSSD jsou nynejsimi nejvetsimi odpurci, zatimco ODS, KDU-CSL a Zeleni se stavi k teto situaci mnohem pozitivneji a vstricneji. Prezident George Bush se zacatkem cervna chysta do Prahy, a to aby vladni cinitele mohli dale diskutovat o planovane vystavbe protiraketoveho systemu v Ceske Republice a Polsku (http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/domov/index_view.php?id=254305).
Kdyz Condoleezza Rice v dubnu navstivila Prahu a setkala se ministrem zahranici Karlem Schwarzenbergem, nazvala Ceskou Republiku “obrovskou oporou” (great ally) a zaroven byla ceske vlade velmi vdecna za jeji podporu se situaci v Iraku a Afganistanu. Swarzenberg pri te prilezitosti take vsem pripomnel Americke osvobozeni cele Evropy v roce 1945 a tedy uchraneni jeho vlasti pred nacistickym masakrem. Schwarzenberg dale konstatuje:” To bylo pred vice nez 60ti lety a nyni musime celit novemu takovemu nebezpeci” (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/20/america/NA-US-Czech-Republic.php).
Samotny prezident Vaclav Klaus neni proti stavbe teto protiraketove zakladny, ale hodne detailu se pry jeste musi vyresit (jeho interview muzete shlednout na http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/23/czech_politics/1185/).
Zda se, ze hlavnim duvodem, proc je vetsina Cechu proti teto radarove zakladne, je strach. Strach z Ruska, strach z nuklearniho odpadu (to je mimochodem pouhy mit), strach z Iranu, strach z novoty….Strach by tu ale podle meho nazoru hlavni motivaci byt nemel. V mnoha situacich je to pouhy detriment, ktery mnohdy zabranuje lidem konat, co je spravne. Jedna vec je jasna a to, ze jestlize komuniste jsou proti (proti radarove zakladne nebo proti cemukoliv americkemu), tak mi moje zakladni instinkty rikaji, abych byla pro.

Vice podrobnosti o brdske radarove zakladne muzete najit na webovych strankach Americke Ambasady v Praze: http://prague.usembassy.gov/md2_general.html