Final Word from Thursday, March 27, 2025

Despite all the saber-rattling, the Czech Republic is at peace. No one is dropping bombs on it, shooting missiles at it or attacking its borders. Tanks aren't rolling into Brno. By PM Petr Fiala's own estimation, which is shared by Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Czechs and others of the former Soviet bloc have 4-6 years to prepare for more possible Russian aggression. That's not a lot of time and means the preparation needs to be taken seriously. It means identifying the potential weaknesses and working to overcome them. Yet Pres. Petr Pavel called in Parliament yesterday for what amounts to a moratorium on any debate that leads to a weakening of the role of the military or its credibility. He wants instead to limit the debate to the security threats facing the country, as defined in strategic government documents. But what if the bigger immediate threat is from within, as U.S. Vice Pres. JD Vance suggested in Munich in Feb.? Shouldn't the mismanagement, waste, theft and conflicts of interest claimed by the opposition at least be reviewed? Of course they should be, if military readiness and defense of the country are truly the objectives. [ Czech Republic invasion J.D. United States special session of Parliament ]