Final Word from Monday, February 8, 2016
When Mirek Topolánek visited France as prime minster in Oct. 2007, he praised both Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy and PM François Fillon for their support for the Czech position on the planned U.S. radar. Fillon has since become a vocal opponent of what he calls the ascendancy or hold (emprise, in French) that the U.S. has on Europe. When he spoke to RTL in mid-2015, he said that Europe is not free, and one of the examples he gave for this were the "increasingly frequent incursions" of the U.S. justice system into the matters of foreign states. Specifically, he mentioned the $8.9bn fine imposed on BNP Paribas in 2014 for violating a domestic U.S. sanctions law. Alexandr Vondra, who as Topolánek's deputy PM was one of the staunchest supporters of the radar, is now condemning the Sobotka government for not allowing the U.S. to make such an "incursion" into Czech law in the matter of Ali Fayad. Fillon has evolved since 2007, Vondra has not. [ Czech Republic missile defense French United States extraterritorial jurisdiction Fahad Russia ]
Glossary of difficult words
ascendancy - occupation of a position of dominant power or influence;
hold - (as noun) a degree of power or control;
incursion - an invasion or attack, esp. a sudden or brief one;
staunch - loyal and committed in attitude;
to evolve (on a political issue) - to change a position gradually over time.