Final Word from Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Depending on how you look at it, the referendum in the Crimea on Sun. will either be a legitimate expression of self-determinism or an illegal act of irredentism. The Euro-American world has already decided to react to separatism by not recognizing the budding new Russian region. The CR will also be part of the boycott, but Pres. Miloš Zeman will suddenly have to resolve a related issue. He hardly misses an opportunity to state that politicians should be judged by whether they keep their promises, and one of his vows in the election campaign was never to visit a country that does not have democratic elections. He's already shown an avid willingness to break this promise in the case of China (a visit is expected this year). He will probably have to decide soon whether a gunpoint referendum in a foreign territory qualifies as a reason to cancel an invitation to the Kremlin. From Zeman's standpoint, it's a no-win situation. [Czech Republic Ukraine Russia European Union United States Vladimir Putin Rádio Impuls]
Glossary of difficult words
no-win situation - a situation in which a favorable outcome is impossible;
irredentism - any policy of seeking the recovery and reunion to one country of a region or regions formerly belonging to it;
budding - would-be, in the making;
avid - having or showing a keen interest in or enthusiasm for something;
gunpoint referendum (or election) - a referendum (or election) held under threat of a gun (or in an occupied territory).