Final Word from Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Petr Fiala is perhaps the most-binary of all the Czech prime ministers. Everything for Fiala is either good or bad, black or white, East or West, democratic or autocratic - with little if anything in between. In his Christmas address just three months ago, Czechs were living in "calm and security." They had overcome the covid pandemic, record inflation, the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the floods in Sept., and they still didn't hesitate at any turn to help those less fortunate. Those who doubted this view of the Czech world, according to Fiala, were "peddlers of fear" who were spreading a lousy attitude. Suddenly, though, the "extremely problematic" actions and statements of Donald Trump changed all this. Czechs are now threatened from "many, many directions," and the "security situation is serious." It's now Fiala who is a peddler of fear. Those who question his headlong rush into increased defense spending are acting "dangerously." Fear as a campaign agenda can certainly work, but only if the tension keeps mounting. We'll know elections are near when Fiala shows up for a cabinet meeting in army fatigues. [ Czech Republic uniform khakis camouflage pants PM speech Seznam Zprávy MFD MF DNes ]