Final Word from Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Pres. Petr Pavel said at an event at Czech Radio one year ago today that he didn't grow up in an environment that allowed him to understand at first what the invasion by Warsaw Pact allies on Aug. 21, 1968, meant. It took him a long time to figure out what had happened and what the context was, he said. "Better late than never," he added. He was alluding to his privileged Communist upbringing, which dictated his view on the Soviet-led invasion until Nov. 1989, after which he quickly conformed to a new interpretation. He's now undergoing another transformation, this time with regard to the invasion of Ukraine. In one discussion or interview after another, he's laying out a plan for a new definition of containing Russia within some form of post-2014 borders, which would require Ukraine to cede considerable territory on a "temporary" basis. This is in apparent violation of the House security resolution of March 19, 2024, which says that restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders is in the CR's fundamental interest. In a sense, Pavel is again merely conforming to the reality on the ground. [ Czech Republic containment revise ]
Glossary of difficult words
revisionism - the theory or practice of revising one's attitude to a previously accepted situation or point of view;
containment - the action or policy of preventing the expansion of a hostile country or influence;
to cede - to give up (power or territory).