Final Word from Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Donald Trump joked that it's called the Deep State Department, and it's true that officials within his administration have worked diligently to frustrate parts of his agenda. When he banned visas to citizens of Syria and six other countries in Jan. 2017, a thousand State Dept. officials signed a dissent cable saying that it violated core American and constitutional values. They were so eager to defy their president that they labeled the government of Bashar al-Assad an important ally and partner in the fight against terrorism (Page 2). Now, the Czech foreign minister, Tomáš Petříček, and two ex-foreign ministers are opposing Trump's Peace to Prosperity plan for Israel and Palestine. This puts them in direct confrontation with the Czech cabinet, PM and president. Just as in the case of Senate Pres. Miloš Vystrčil and Taiwan, the core values promoted by Petříček are entirely legitimate. It's just that such unorthodox methods are usually the domain of dissidents, not of top government officials. [ Czech Republic Lubomír Zaorálek Karel Schwarzenberg United States China ]
Glossary of difficult words
deep state - a body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy;
diligently - in a way that shows care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties;
core - the part of something that is central to its existence or character;
to defy - openly to resist or refuse to obey.