SLOVAKIA | Turning Towards Russia?
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2024
- In late 2023, the political landscape in Slovakia shifted significantly when Robert Fico, a former prime minister known for his pro-Russian stance, was re-elected as head of a coalition government. This has caused concern among Western allies as Slovakia has halted its military support to Ukraine. However, recent actions by the Slovak government indicate a potential shift in its position, raising questions about the nation's allegiance in the context of NATO’s unity. So, has Slovakia become another NATO weak link alongside Hungary and Turkey? Or is its policy rather more complex that it seems on the surface?
Slovakia’s history stretches back to the Great Moravian Empire, through Austro-Hungarian control, to its time as part of Czechoslovakia. Post-Cold War, the Slovak Republic has taken varied political and economic paths. Sometimes, it has aligned closely with the EU and NATO. At other times, it has shown nationalist, authoritarian tendencies under leaders like Vladimir Mečiar and Robert Fico. These fluctuations have influenced the nation’s foreign policy, particularly with Russia and Ukraine, impacting its perception as a reliable ally within Western alliances.
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VIDEO CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:44 Slovakia and NATO-EU Unity
02:07 Slovakia: Location and Population
02:39 The Historical Emergence of Slovakia
03:51 Slovakia from Czechoslovakia to the EU & NATO
05:31 The Rise of Prime Minister Robert Fico
07:33 The Fall of Prime Minister Robert Fico
10:15 Slovakia’s Approach to Ukraine under Fico
11:57 Is Slovakia a New NATO-EU Weak Link?
SOURCES AND FURTHER READING
Slovakia | Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
www.mzv.sk/en/web/en
SMER-SD | Political Party
www.strana-smer.sk/
GLOBSEC | Slovak International Relations Think Tank
www.globsec.org/
NATO
www.nato.int/
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#Slovakia #Russia #NATO #EU
So, how much should NATO and the EU worry about Slovakia under Fico? Is he another Orban? Or is his behaviour designed to appeal to a domestic audience while not antagonising his Western partners too much? As always, I look forward to your thoughts and comments below.
It does appear that he is just kind of waiting to see how this all plays out with Russia/Ukraine. A more pressing question might be, that guy from the early 90's, that has got to be a cheap hair piece, no?
Ukraine is NOT in NATO. Not being willing to help a c0rrvpt country is not being Anti-NATO.
Why would Turkey implement EU sanctions against Russia if it's not in the European Union?
*CONTRADICTION*
@@kacperzimowski4626 Your comment makes absolutely no sense. There's corruption in every Gov. in every country. try again troll
@@Todd.B Still doesn't make sense to put Ukraine in NATO if it's gonna make shit worse. Try again troll.
We Slovaks have no reason to be enemies of Russia. If some other countries want bad relations with Russia, that's their choice, not ours. Our people have clearly shown in last two elections that we want good relations with Russia.
Friends of our enemies are our enemies. Simple is that. If you don't want to be part of Europe and the West, then f*** off. Leave the EU, leave NATO, join Russia and enjoy, like in the good old days.
Joo, ja te hyödytte hyvistä suhteista. Saatte kaiken mitä tarvitsette venäjältä. Suomen eliitti on tyhmä ja poloinen. Täysin amerikkalaisen tossun alla. Mailma olisi tuhon partaalla jos kaikki valtiot olisi amerikkalaisen tossun alla, poloinen ja amerikkalaisen käskytyksessä. Suomen tila romahti nopeasti, koska eliiti on amerkan käskytyksessä ja täysin sen tossun alla. .
Says completely played by Putin
@@robertmiskey5502 you sound completely played by Biden
Then leave the European Union and NATO!
He is just putting Slovakia interests first which is what a leader of a coutnry should do.
While NATO and the EU are doing everything they can to fuel the war, destroy the country, incite hatred against Russia and let Ukrainians die in a war they have already lost, the Slovaks have the morality to keep things as a whole to make Slovakia and Europe better.
How long,"he is just putting Slovakia interests"at first place ? While Putins Regime comes there and take their lives in his cruel hands. Than.... Bye, bye freedom,and all what modern world has accomplished.
❤ Slovensko je proslovenske,. Nie je proruské ani proukrajinske. Slovensko chce mať priateľov a partnerov na všetky štyri svetové strany. Bežný slovenský občan chce zastavenie bojov na Ukrajine, zastavenie pretekov v zbrojení. Je treba nastoliť mierové rozhovory, rokovania a zastaviť zabíjanie. Každá vojna sa raz skončí. A prečo nie čo najskôr.
Sadly, I'm afraid it is not that simple. Ukraine isn't an ordinary war. Neutrality and calling for peace will just amount to a victory for Russia, with terrible consequences for international peace and security around the world.
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To tehle krypto-fasisticke propagandisticke mrdce, ale nevysvetlis
@@JamesKerLindsay ,volanie po mieri by znamenalo vitazstvo Ruska??vaše anglosaske myslenie sa nezaprie.
27 EU, valtiossa kun on sekopäiden enemmistö, miten meinaatte lopettaa aseiden antamisen. Aseiden anto kertoo antajista enemmän kuin tarpeeksi. He ovat tunteettomia psykopaatteja. Ihmiset haluaa rauhaa, mutta hullu eliitti haluaa vain tappamisen jatkuvuutta.
MR. Fico is the only prime minister in the Europe (maybe in the world), which was elected and is now 5 times Prime minister. So little respect. He is definitely pro-Slovakia. Actually, he doesn't care about Putin or Zelensky. For him number 1 interest is Slovakia. Yes - he is nationalist - I can't see any problem with that.
While the West does everything to fuel wars, destroy Ukraine, incite hatred against Russia and let Ukrainians die in a war that has already been lost, the Slovaks have not lost their peaceful mind. As an Austrian with close ties to Slovakia, I am proud of you Slovaks having elected the right prime minister and the right president. The “concern” about Slovakia only serves foreign intentions to interfere in Slovak politics.
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Valtio johtajat saa minun puolesta olla kusipäitä tai paskahousuja, kunhan he ovat oman valtion puolta, ajavat oman valtion asioita jotta kansalaisilla on hyvät palvelut ja olot.
The problem is that you have to live in the real world, not the world as you would like it. I daresay that if Putin got everything he wanted, the Russian "Mir" might not be so bad, there would be no war, and if oligarchs continued to get richer, and corruption continued as a factor of life, no doubt individual freedoms of speech might not be so rigorously controlled, and life would seem better. But life is already better in the West, and although foreign policy mistakes have been made (notably Afghanistan, Vietnam and Iraq) the US or NATO have never done something as crassly wicked as invade a sovereign country that has not interfered with the political or economic interests of its neighbours. Russia under the Putin regime most certainly has.
@@2Dylandog I think we are familiar with the usual Putin bashing in the mainstream media that comes from NATO bots to distract from the real reason for this war. The reason for this war was that Ukraine was forced into NATO by the overthrow of the democratically elected Ukrainian government in 2014. Yanukovych wanted to maintain good relations with Russia. But for the US State Department, this was a threat. So the US had to “get their boys in,” as Victoria Nuland officially told us. After this coup, the war began in 2014, as you probably know.
Slovaks were refusing to fight against Russia, fellow Slavs already in Austrian-Hungarian times hundreds years ago, what make you thing we would fight Russia for Brits who are completely different to us ??😮😮
In a true democracy elections have consequences. In two national elections, voters in Slovakia have twice, within a year or so, voted for candidates who want better relations with Russia despite the Ukraine war. Those voters deserve as much respect as the voters in Finland who take a tough line against Russia. Otherwise democratic elections are a scam.
Yes, but. When those voters have deliberately chosen to take a course that stands at odds with almost every one of Slovakia’s key strategic partners and allies, and this policy favours a war of aggression that is being waged by a dictator who has stifled democracy in his country, Slovakia’s partners have every right to raise their concerns. It is not simply about democracy, as you suggest. It is far deeper than that.
@@JamesKerLindsay West likes democracy only when people who work for their interest are in power.
LIke in Montenegro after elections there was every day warnings from USA and EU what government they want ,they really did not care about what people who vote wanted
@@JamesKerLindsayso the interests or desires of Slovakia's partners come before that of its inhabitants? Yes , Russia invaded Ukraine but Slovakia's partners have also invaded countries so where's the difference ? Your argument that Russia's invasion is somehow worse isn't convincing . Moreover at least there are ethnic Russians in Ukraine whereas NATO had zero business being in Iraq and Libya and even Afghanistan. And yes Russia has annexed territory but again the people in those territories are happy to have been annexed . Unlike say those in the territories Israel , the USA's closest ally, is continuously annexing.
@@mouniashwell said
@@mouniash Those are pretty much verbatim Russian propaganda points/lies (Bot/Troll??) NATO has never annexed a part of any country and tried to integrate it into their own lands. The oft spoken Russian lie of 'ethnic Russians' living in Ukraine. They aren't. They are Ukrainians who speak Russian, most of which are loyal to Ukraine. Many Ukrainian units are Russian speakers first but proud Ukrainians.
Plenty of countries speak a language of another country. It doesn't mean they 'belong' to that country. France, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, Senegal, etc. / England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc / Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium...and hundreds of other examples around the world. There is no ownership based on language.
Any pro-Russian Ukrainians are usually descended from Russian immigrants (often using the time-honoured Russian tactic to take over other people's land) to the Donbas and its industrial and mining works. So, give it a rest with the debunked Russian propaganda.
The American mindset of “you’re either with us or against us” raises false questions. Countries determine their positions on global issues based on what they consider to be their best interests. Clearly America doesn’t believe countries have this need, only America does.
Look at India. They somehow manage to be on everyone’s side all at the same time.😉
,
Very well sayed
Well said. It is truly pathetic, childish and imperialistic
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Communists said same thing 🤣 If not with me you are my enemy .
Lived in communism 🤮
I don't think he's pro or anti Russian, he is thinking what the interests of his country are
The interest of his country is aligning with the kinds of Russia, China and Iran instead of the largest trading block it's part of? Sounds like a great success 🤦🏼♂️
The problem is that he then have to leave EU. That is absolutely the case. EU is more then only one countries, this is a huge problem for is all with far right Hungary
Replace the word "country" with "personal bank account" and you will be spot on.
@@wallenbergphoto And bankrupt the country? He is a demagogue, but he is not stupid. Like all demagogues, he needs something he can present as a "problem" but must avoid the "solution" at any cost.
Why?
1) By providing the "solution", he would lose the "problem" and with it, the reason for the masses to support him.
2) Providing the "solution" would show the masses that the "problem" was never a problem in the first place (see Brexit for an example).
The US does NOT support Ukraine, but supports all countries who are against Russia or China to weaken both.
Turns out they were right in regards to the migrant crisis. Maybe the EU should tone back the bullying of states who disagree with it.
God bless them for that decision. Today our beautiful Czechia is still safe. Most everyone here hated Merkel's horrible decision.
They can always leave the block if they don´t believe in the EU and its values.
I disagree about European unity regarding Ukraine in NATO. I agree that Europe still wants to help Ukraine outside of NATO, but most will be reluctant to go to war with. Russia. The west has spent a lot of time trying to portray Russia as weak and easily defeated this is to persuade people to be amenable to going to war against it but people have seen what Russia can do to their cities and so they are not at all keen hence NATO's weakness. NATO is only successful against small countries like Libya that they can carpet bomb, but even fighting peasants armies like the Vietcong and Taliban they have come up short. The Russians are not peasants
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Well said.
Как точно сказано,
- Да. Русские не крестьяне.
В России проживают более 200 народов.
Но когда приходит беда, все эти народы становятся РУССКИМИ. Не зависимо от национальности и вероисповедания. Все русские. Это правда.
И Бог всегда встаёт на сторону русских. Поэтому русские говорят, - .Если с нами Бог, то какая разница, кто против нас.
And even if Russia were weak and easily defeated that is no argument to go to war just because the war would be easy to win. British fantasies are not ours in Germany.
I'm Slovakian. Fico is not pro-Russian, he is also not pro-Ukrainian, he is not pro-American and he is not pro-Brussels. He is pro-Slovakian. He said many times before that he wants to have good relations with everyone, including Russia, China, Ukraine, US, EU etc. That's why Slovaks love him and voted for him, and they also voted for coalition's presidential candidate Pellegrini, he won. Slovaks don't wanna be a mere puppets in America's endless war against her geopolitical rivals.
Can you leave nato, js.
@@fuzzyspackage they still cant because they and any other country aside from Slovakia like Hungary , will be punished by America with withdrawing western investments from there and that would crush slovakian economy but more China and the world get economically powerfull then europeans countries will be able to rebel against America in practice as well.
@@fuzzyspackage why would they? And why should they?
It is impossible to sit on two chairs with one butt. And how is Fico going to “be good” with the terrorist Putin and Ukraine, which has been defending itself from racists for 11 years? Don’t deceive yourself, it’s better to decide: are you for evil in the form of the Russian Federation or against it?
As a Bulgarian, our pro-Russian politicians say the exact same things. Actually, all pro-Russian politicians in the EU speak the same played out narrative about being friends with everybody and being so patriotic. The last sentence of your comment clearly shows your own pro-Russian bias, and since you support Fico, this means he aligns with your worldview.
Don't pretend to be neutral when you're actually not 😐
I don't pretend to be neutral on Ukraine for one moment. I have explained numerous times why I am not. I know you probably won't be interested to understand why, but I cover it all here: czcams.com/video/9tGR2lfRSr8/video.htmlsi=T1h9FN5hUGMnAjCC
I agree, this channel is not a neutral one. In my opinion it provides simple one-sided views to fuel the war against Russia and against the will of the Urainian people. It seems obvious, that the goal here is to incite hatred against Russia and let Ukrainians die in a war they have already lost.
I've been saying it for so long that your high horse is this scam of you being neutral when in reality your own rose tinted view of the world always sips through.@@JamesKerLindsay
@@randolph69 Nonsense. Again, I am absolutely clear where I stand on Ukraine. And anyone with an ounce of integrity should be too. If you find yourself on the side of Putin, Xi, Orban and Lukashenko then I think you might want to have a serious think about your choices.
@@JamesKerLindsay You made yourself clear enough, anyone with an ounce of integrity should stand with Ukraine. Alright. Since we're talking about integrity, where do you stand on the Israel and Palestine conflict, Professor?
This video is very biased. Meciar was not authotarian and Dzurinda was no saviour.
Dzurinda was even more corrupt than Meciar.
Súhlasím s vami
Thank you, i was just about to type that, glad i found this comment. Dzurinda practically sold us to EU for the prize of great loses for our country.
Well said.
Dzurinda was prowestern puppet who sold statehold property to western companies He is corrupt criminal and traitor. He rob its own citizen.
Pozdrav za bracu i sestre Slovakia,iz Austria🇦🇹
Also from Australia, both countries Slovakia and Hungary brave hearts full of love for their own country and people!
@@rozaliamajores4798 ❤️❤️❤️
@@rozaliamajores4798 👍👍👍🍀🇦🇹
U Srbiju,pa ih pozdravljaj. Još bolje,idi u Rusiju
@@mrgreenclon If you had just another braincell, you wouldn't be so arrogant. Although every US citizen who visited Russia can't wait to return to Russia! Anyway, most visitors to great America opt to leave early!
Slovakia has think of the interests of its people. That is what sensible leaders do.
Mutta, Suomi tuhoaa oman valtionsa ja oman kansan vihanpidoillaan.
Did Fico really call Ukraine "Corrupt"?!
Really?!
What a peculiar idea...
is he 2 putin crime
Russia is not our enemy. I am from Slovakia.
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Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, - why not to be more closely together ?
Btw,Slovaks voted him isn't that democracy ? What is your problem here? I am Greek and also dont want to pay even 1 cent for Ukraine ... does that make me Pro Russian ? auHEUHAEUHAUEH
Central European government and perhaps the people have a different mindset or mentality to their western counterparts when it comes to identity politics, social and family values.
Kaiserbauch, a Czech CZcamsr with a Slovak wife, uploaded a video about the Czech-slovak dynamic and mentions their views on Russia. Interesting.
I obviously haven't watched your video yet since it's been only a minute since you uploaded, and I'm at work anyway.
Testing... Can't even see my own comment...
@@ABCantonese We can see it, no worries, its some shitty CZcams feature.
Great video from the professor but also a recommendation for people to go see Kaiserbauch's video, too.
Kaiserbauch has a pretty poor take on the topic full of fairy tales and skipped facts.
Slovakia dominated by Catholics - is that why almost all leading figures of the national movement in 19th century were protestant (Stur, Hurban, Hodza)?
Oh wait, how come he skipped the part who won the first elections after wwII in Czechia? It doesn't fit the story tale. Maybe because communists won in Czechia while in Slovakia Democratic party won and communists failed miserably? And the funny story how Masaryk lobbied in Paris for the statehood? LOL, without gen. Stefanik (a Slovak whose contribution to emergence of Czechoslovakia he omitted for the sake of fairy tale consistency) Masaryk could maybe talk to a receptionist in Versailles at most.
Kaiserbauch cares more about immigration and demographics and hosting Monsieur Z, a person ostracized by the broader history/alt-history community.
@@007Tomino Czechoslovakia became part of Eastern Block in Jalta, no elections would have changed it, as is the example of Poland or Hungary. Communist party got the most of the votes in Czech lands but not enough to change constitution and grab power. the non communist parties had a majority in parliament.. after war Slovakia was a defeated country that allied with Nazi Germany and took part in military actions against Poland and USSR, and only re-unification with Czechoslovakia saved it from consequences of lost war, including paying reparations...
Central European government and its people have different mindset when it comes to identity politics, social and family values. It shouldn’t be a surprise though.
Interesting that the choice is always seen as "pro-Western" or 'pro-Russian" - I see it as "pro-sovereignty" vs "pro-supression". The choice should be obvious.
You don't have sovereign USA tell you what 2 do even you don't like it you will do it just like a puppet no diff when the russaian do it
Why even impose a moral binary point of view? Why not just look at the multitude of perspectives and narratives and try to aim for a nuanced holistic view of the conflict? We seem to have little issue doing that with wars' past? Why not skip the emotional jingoism and go right for the analytics?
@m.a.118 Great aspiration, but maybe our headline and click bait driven media landscape demands a binary statement about the situation to draw in views?
So... Which us which?
Poles and Czechs vs Slovaks and Hungarians.
Such much about the Visegrád Group as a unified power block inside the EU.
Indeed. It hadn’t been working terribly well for quite some time now! But it is interesting to see the split between Slovakia and the Czech Republic. They have tended to have extremely close relations. However, these are being strained by Fico’s position on Ukraine, especially as the Czech Republic now has a very pro-West president, Petr Pavel.
@@JamesKerLindsay I would just like to add that the current rupture between the two governments was technically initiated by PM Fiala from Czechia. He was the one that called off the joint meeting of the two gvts, despite the fact that the Slovak's decision not to keep on sending military equipment is a purely sovereign decision without direct impact on Czechia. It is quite paternalistic from the official Prague, and even Ms Caputova from Bratislava expressed concerns over how the matter was handled by PM Mr Fiala. I am neither a Czech or Slovak, but had lived in Prague for a while and am quite familiar with the political situation in the two countries.
Visegrad has been dead for over a decade.
Just a until recently it was Poles and Hungarians vs Czechs and Slovaks
@@BozaCukuranovic3223 Hello! Are there perhaps other reasons to suspend the government meetings, beside the weapon deliveries?
We should start preaching peace, which should involve respect for both Ukrine and Russia.
The Prime Minister of Hungary may Respect the Russian President which is far from admiring him. Hungary relies on Russian energy after the division of Europe by the US and UK powers after World War 2, into two spheres of influence. Orbán inherited this arrangement or you have forgotten?
Under the prior government Slovakia already sent all its surplus Soviet ordnance to Ukraine.
This.
Maybe after Hungary and Slovakia become pro Russia country, Austria, Bulgaria and Romania will follow the suit
In recent opinion polls in Austria, FPO leads the polls, FPO is considered as Pro Russian party, same goes to AUR and Revival in Romania and Bulgaria respectively, which both parties increasingly gain support from voters.
In upcoming EU elections, a far right and nationalist bloc parties (ECR and ID) will gain many seats
Yes you right, it's a very scary future ahead
😂not possibile as their leaders and their elites hold their ill gotten monetas the Western Banks.🤫🏳️😱
@@wallenbergphoto Really I see nothing scary doing business with everyone 🤷🏽♂️
@@greatman5836you should be afraid of Putin’s and Xi’s imperialism.
@@wallenbergphoto So now sane, normal and rational behavior, that is oriented towards good relations with others and no war mongering is "scary"???
I think to say pro-russia is propaganda exaggeration. Sometimes pro-slovak or pro-Hungarian will align in favour of Russia and often not. People forget 1968 and 1956, the people in these central european countries like their independence and do not obey mindlessly. If you try to bully them they hold their ground, they are not weak slaves of central authority. They are proud independent people, get used to it.
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Therefore many Germans feel proud of their neighbours Hungary and Slovakia.
68 bylo zachranit nasi zemi v te dobe se do Nemecka stehovali amici Varsavska smlouva tim ze tu byli vojaci Varsavske smlouvy jsme meli o 20 roku zachraneno slusny zivot kdyby tu nebyli tak jsme v tech srackach co tu mame byli jiz od roku 1968 to nas prave zachranilo
Slovakia knows that the border with ukraine will become border with Russia. So, do the math.
In that case, so do Poland, Romania and Moldova. (And Hungary.) What does this say about them?
YESSSS!!!!!!!!!
@@JamesKerLindsay . POLAND AND ROMANIA, AND MOLDOVA WILL BE IF THEY ATTACK RUSSIA WHICH BE THE LEAST RUSSIA OR ANY COUNTRY WOULD DO.
If they want to make their own sovereign policy, then they are pro-russian??! 🤣This is just the hypocritical attitude of progressive, so called, "journalists" and politicians. Slovakia 1st - that's the prio #1 of the current Slovak gov. They want to focuse on the own sovereign politic and to build the cooperation with ALL countries, especially together with the neighbors (Ukraine as well). The previous prime leaders (Matovic, Heger and Odor) and theirs ministers completely ruined the Slovak budget and completely ruined the active army defense (former minister J. Nad).
Comes off as a pragmatist tbh. He's avoiding implementing state policies which would harm his country and asserting his country's sovereignty by not toeing the line of his more powerful allies but has left the door open to the people of the country to provide support if they wish to and for aid and economic routes to remain operational
'The West' is indirectly at war with Russia and vice-versa... everyone has to pay an economic price for that to stand with Ukraine and to stand up for the international global order. I think it's incredibly weak and populist to bend the knee to Russia if you think you can get some crumbs out of it.
Unfortunately, such things are frowned upon by those ruling the EU.
Opposing war is not a cause for concern actually. 🤷🏽♂️
In most cases, I would agree. I have been involved in numerous peace processes during my career. But this is not a ‘normal’ war. This is what we call a systemic war. If Russia wins then it will mark the first time since 1945 that a country has successfully invaded and seized the territory of another state. The fact that it has been done with nuclear threats makes it all the more dangerous. This is why calls for a negotiated settlement are misguided. Unless that negotiation leads to a full Russian withdrawal it will only cement the idea that stronger states can attack weaker ones and then force them to accept the outcome. This would be disastrous for peace around the world. So, again, while I would argue for peace, this is one conflict where we cannot afford to let Russia win, either on the battlefield or at the negotiating table.
@@JamesKerLindsay Kosova......... Donbas......Ahh....
@@JamesKerLindsay It is a proxy war by NATO (USA + vassals) against Russia. It is an existential issue for Russia, this war was imposed on Russia. Russia has warned the West not to cross the red line. Russia is right and Russia will win, the remaining residents of Ukraine thus also win. The Ukrainians were grossly misused by the West that made coup-d´etat there, they believed that roasting pigeons would fall into their mouths in connection with the West, they jumped on the neo-Nazi course. Ordinary people understand this. Ordinary people are against war. The new package approved by the White House will only lead to more human casualties and prolonging the special operation. Ukraine will lose even more territory, Ukraine will be denazified and demilitarized. And that's a win for the whole world. If the USA does not accept this result and wants to escalate the reality, then God be with us all.
Dear professor, you should remember the Caribbean crisis. And then the "USA democratization" of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria...
@@JamesKerLindsayGood to see you clearly outline your position. Would you say territorial readjustments by military force are always systematic?
If you'd oppose the war, you would want the russians to be defeated as quickly as possible. Unless you're a traitor of course, in which case you want Russia to win as quickly as possible. But these are the two options.
"Opposing the war" is a misleading BS. The war is on, it's already a reality, so you cannot oppose the breakout of the war, you can only side with victory or defeat.
Brits living in their own bubble of fantasy 😅. Prof., rem when you predicted Russia's economy would collapse due to sanctions and that Ukraine 🇺🇦 was winning? 😅😅😅😂😂😂😂
Or when Brandon said there will be M2 BFVs and Abrams M1 in the centre of Moscow?
Great topic. It seems Slovakia leaders are simply creating tactical contrasts in order to gain political power domestically. As is said "all politics are local" could be applied to this situation. Slovakia due its small size and geographic location has to create a middle course. Being too Ukrainian could lead to the nation seen as a welcoming safe haven, thus the nation would be overwhelmed with refugees. I see Slovakia's point of view being pragmatic. They see the conflict in Ukraine as a border war with a Russian victory in the near future. They know a neighboring state of "Ukraine" will exist and knows they must interact with this nation be it run by Ukrainian nationalist or pro-Russian leadership. Thanks for the podcast & the great thought-provoking content.
Slovakia needs people because Thier own people don't want to stay in say immigration is a necessity for the country unless it can stop it's people from leaving to Germany
Your map looks wrong of Europe 1947-1949; Istria was part od Croatia, a republic of the Federation of Yugoslavia. The Free Port of Trieste 1947-1954 was Zone A and Zone B but both shown as part of Italy. Zone B went to Yugoslavia in 1954 and Zone A to Italy causing many people to immigrate who did not want to be under Italy due to discrimination and persecution as they were not Latins.
What is a Soviet mindset?
Is it not a streanght for a "defence org" to have members that seak to find negothiations solutions on issues, instead of directly issue a war?
So maybe is Slov. the Strongest card in the present deck, of "nato states"?
Slowakia is nowhere near a position to negotiate solutions.
Nech žije Rusko a náš pán premiér Fico.
As a Slovak, living in Slovakia, I compliment this brief summary as spot on.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I have utmost respect for Slovakia and the Slovak people. Indeed, I have a soft spot for the country as I have several dear friends and colleagues from Slovakia. Wishing you all well!
*"You"* don't even exist ALT.
As another Slovak, albeit living in the UK but with friends and family in SK, I concur that both the video and the OP are spot on.
With only one tiny correction, more semantic than factual: Fico isn't pro-Putin, he is pro-Fico. Yes, he bends down to Putin, because right now it benefits him. He will turn the coat and start supporting the Martians the moment he finds it benefits him more. The one thing he will NOT support is his own people.
@@olmostgudinaf8100 What the Slovak government does NOT support is prolonging the lost war in Ukraine. While NATO and the EU are doing everything they can to fuel the war, destroy the country, incite hatred against Russia and let Ukrainians die in a war they have already lost, the Slovaks have the morality to keep things as a whole to make Europe better.
Kiitos teille slovakit. Täällä suomessa ankeinen ja tyhmä eliitti.
Kudos Slavakia
❤❤❤
As usual, fascinating and informative. As an American, I find US politics like a quagmire.
But European politics is like an impenetrable swamp, filled with strange creatures and dangerous flora.
Of course, it's pretty much always been that way, hasn't it? Thank you for shedding some light on it.
Our shit is so dysfunctional that it reaches integer underflow and thus doesn’t collapse.
In varietate concordia 🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺
@@Ea-pb2tu Europe makes about as much sense as your comment...
TRUMP2024 🇺🇲👏
It’s not terribly different. It’s just local and national politics done in a different language, albeit often overlaid by issues and tensions with others that speak another language. But most of the issues are just the same. Then again, didn’t Churchill say that Americans and British are a single people divided by a common language? :-)
Of course it has always been that way. Europe is so many different nations and cultures for three thousand years, while the US is pretty homogeneous.
And what about the never changing us mindset?
👌👍🏿❤️
You may be overlooking just how disastrous the previous pro western government in Slovakia was- inflation, national debt, gdp, corruption all very bad. Outgoing prime minister Heger, scored 2.7 percent in elections. Secondly you overlook that Ukraine policy is much more unpopular now than before in all of EU and USA, so your argument that sentiment in Slovakia is isolated is weak.
Seems like Slovakia is just being neutral/realistic here. Fact is, Ukraine will have too conced land for peace sucks but it's the truth this war has permanently destroyed Ukraine
You say that, but what will be the wider consequences of Ukraine ceding land for peace? We have an international system constructed precisely to prevent the old territorial land grabs of the 19th and early 20th century. Any ‘peace’ in Ukraine that undermines this will in fact be basis for a world of conflict and insecurity as other follow suit. I’d say that it will actually make wars more likely. This is why I believe that we shouldn’t make Ukraine fight this conflict on their own. This is war where Russia must be defeated if we are to stop conflicts elsewhere.
@@JamesKerLindsay If Putin will be aggressive again, EU will simply exchange Slovakia for peace.
Ukraine simply had to negotiate peace with Russia rather than go on the Churchillian offensive as Boris Johnson would have it... The thing that is staggering about journalists like you is how you overlook the thousands of young Ukrainian lives who have literally been SACRIFICED to this utter folly in political incompetence
So many falsehoods in this video...unbelievable.
Súhlasím s vami
Bravo Slovakia. GRT from Belgium.
the Ukraine issue is dividing central/éàstérn Europe
At the end,Turkey, Slovakia and Hungary must choose either the US or Russia as striking a balance between both superpowers is not easy yet it questions trust.
Sovereign countries can work with all countries ,puppet ones Washington decide for them
It doesn't have to be an either/or decision. Turkey is doing a very good job of surviving in a border region by not falling into the trap that Ukraine did of effectively declaring itself hostile to its neighbor.
@@Dafttar yes Turkey is doing very well 😉. Don’t you say what’s happening to Turkey economically?😝
@@zakariyashakir4091 The same thing that's happening all over the world right now.
@@Dafttar how?
We've got to admit it, the EU doesn't work. Unlike the US a union made up of disparate cultures, states, languages was always going to be fraught with issues.
NB: This in no way infers that the US is perfect but it was more of an organic union than the EU.
NO, THE THING IS THE USA JUST PRINT PAPERS AND BUYS AND STEAL GOODS WITH A NO VALU E PRINTED PAPER !! WARS, CRIMES, NAME IT !!
We all saw Western solidarity during Covid years😅😅😅😅
If they dont vote the way Brussels likes, its not 'Democracy (tm)'
No. If they vote for someone who subverts EU unity, supports a foreign aggressor, and undermines democracy then they don’t like it. In fact, the EU is extremely diverse politically. At any given time, some members have centre-right or right governments and others have centre-left and left ones. They tend to get on with each other. And the European Parliament has a diverse range of voices too, but is dominated by the centre-right EPP. Don’t fall for the line used by autocrats to present this as the EU disliking democracy. They just use this to subvert democracy.
I’m Slovak-Canadian and proud! 🇸🇰🤝🇷🇺
Britain loves to fight using Slavic soldiers instead of their own, seems to us
I always appreciate the videos. Sometimes I'm unaware of the topic or I only have a very vague kind of idea. The videos are clear, concise, and accessible.
I feel like I understand things more from an objective point of view after I watch. So, thanks! I appreciate your work! 🤙
In my humble opinion Dzurinda is widely viewed as a traitor for allowing nato's jets using Slovakian air space.. killing innocent ppl. Kudos to Mr Fico for protecting civilians by not buying damaged crops but creating a corridor allowing moldy crops its way further... Kudos to Mr Blanar also for expressing exceptional ability to sit behind the round table👏
@@crazyworld2468 brah...wut?
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I’m really glad the videos are useful.
Its called a tight rope walking position.
Cant blame them. Being a frontline state bordering the conflict they have more to lose than gain.
In an all out no holds bar ww3 slovakia is militarily little more than a speed hump.
For all the hype and dribble on nato and eu unity, self interests come first. Just ask the germans.
Indeed. But one could argue that it really isn't necessary. Slovakia has largely broken its links to Russian energy. This just seems more geared towards playing to a domestic crowd. I think Fico saw a body of opinion he could exploit to return to power. But now he is there, he is being careful not to antagonise his Western partners too much - especially as it seems he is also up to some of his bad old tricks domestically.
An analogous situation to your assumption in the 3rd World War occurred in the 2nd World War, when on August 29, 1944, the Wehrmacht of the Third Reich entered Slovakia for the purpose of occupying the country. The Slovaks did not leave it alone and rose militarily against the occupiers and against the domestic fascist regime. They defended the free territory until October 27, 1944. After this date, they continued the organized guerrilla war until liberation in the spring of 1945. The resistance of the insurgent army, which was able to maintain a continuous front in the deep rear of the German troops, represents a unique phenomenon in the history of the Second World War. In the summer and autumn of 1944, there were several more or less successful uprisings in Nazi-controlled or directly occupied Europe. In terms of the number of participants, the most significant were the Warsaw Uprising (August 1 - October 2, 1944) and the Paris Uprising (August 19 - 25, 1944). About 50,000 people actively participated in the Warsaw and Paris Uprisings. At the beginning of October 1944, the rebel army in Slovakia had almost 60,000 members (of which about 45,000 were armed) and, in addition to them, around 12,000 partisans (of which about 8,000 were armed) operated in the rebel territory.
@@JamesKerLindsay You fail to grasp where did this "body of opinion" come from. Slovakia is a glowing memento of where the lost hybrid war in propaganda space leads. Fico has one agenda only - to stay out of prison due to him being notoriously corrupt. For the sake of staying out of prison he rides the wave created by russian influence operation.
Yes, because supporting Putin, right when Putin is expanding and trying to get the URSS back, they will gain a lot. Sure...
@@JamesKerLindsay 😂
Dear sir. Prof James ker - Lindsay. I thank you very very much for saying Miles. I know you said it in kilometers but you also said it in Miles also. And I that you for that.
I live in the United States and we never say kilometers we say miles. And I thank you for saying both of them.
Britain still uses miles as well. I can accept that. (Although we now use cm not inches for most smaller units.) It’s Fahrenheit that I just don’t understand and will NEVER use. You are truly on your own on that one. 😀
People are getting wiser and they understood that NATO is the problem
Cope
LOL. NATO is not even entered the war yet.
Don't tell lies this much man.
Funny thing is Babis czech ex prime minister was more pro russia and pro China while Slovakia was pro west
Now current czech gov is pro west and Slovakia appease Russia and China
Great point! Indeed.
End of the day, the war is between the Slavs. There would be sentiments supporting or opposing both sides in each nation.
Like 1776 in America? Lol
International relations, conflict and security??? Bring statehood back!
Haha! I might. Seriously though, a couple of other people mentioned it. It was actually highlighting a serious point. Sadly my videos on domestic politics of countries tend to do really badly. They attract relatively few views amongst my usual audience. Instead they just get load of criticism from offended nationalists of the country concerned. However, CZcams being CZcams likes this engagement and then serves them up more of my videos. But these are on completely different topics, they don’t watch them as they now hate me and usually have little interest in what’s going on beyond their own country anyway. This in turn means my general views go down. It therefore becomes better to stick to general themes of conflict, security and international relations. Sorry for the long explanation, but it’s actually a bit of a problem. It takes. A lot of time and effort, and expense, to make the videos. But the way that YT works means that it needs a committed core audience to decide how to push videos more widely. It’s a terrible system for channels like mine that cover broad topics within a general area. But it is what it is and I need to find a way to manage it.
Bravo Fico, bravo Pellegrini!..greetings from Italy!..Z
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zzzzzzzz sleep
Obviously Z means Zoccola like whole EU..🤘
It's amazing that he doesn't want to see another WW.
yeah....what a crazy maniac
Nothing happening anywhere in europe is going to cause another world war.
Wheres Statehood? So you don't take an informed look at Statehood now?
Interesting.
Although I'm totally unaware, so lack any meaningful opinion, but, it's a bit difficult for small nations to impose their will on larger nations, or large alliances.
Also, Fico's ally that succeeded him as pm was just elected president of the country, further solidifying this new populist era for Slovakia.
Ľudia si zvolili pána Peligriniho v demokratických voľbách, tak ako si zvolili vládu, ktorej predsedom je Róbert Fico a plne túto vládu väčšina národa podporuje. Je to vláda ktorá pracuje pre záujmy Slovenska a nie záujmy USA ani Ruska. A takúto vládu a budúceho prezidenta nazývate populistami? Vaši politici sú čo?! Veď aj za prezidenta si zvolíte dementného starého človeka, ktorý pomalý už nevie ani kým je! USA sa hraje na svetového policajta, obrať, zničiť a keď sa už nedarí, tak zutekať a krajiny zanechať rozvrátené a v chaose, po vás už len potopa.
Video: czcams.com/video/Y789SugNiA0/video.html
I miss the "statehood" at the beginning :(
Sup, how you doin´?
Thanks. It was really a bit of a cheeky way to make a point as my videos on politics don’t tend to do too well. The last two have been right down in terms of views, especially from regular viewers. It seems that people want the conflict and security videos more than the statehood ones. I wondered if anyone would even miss them!? :-)
@@JamesKerLindsay I do miss them, but I get your point. The conflict and security videos would do better in terms of views
@@JamesKerLindsayoh I would certainly miss them. After all, I’m pretty sure it was your videos on statehood and secession that initially drew my interest in the topic and kept me coming back to the channel. It’s a shame that they don’t seem to do too well with a general audience. I understand that it is neither a smart move nor particularly rewarding to produce videos that few people will watch, but I would indeed be a little sad if they were discontinued entirely.
@@JamesKerLindsayIts sad that its mainly due to the views that shouldnt influence a video
Так и России и Венгрии не нужно вставлять "палки в колёса". Когда всё закончится на Украине, будет видно, кто был прав из стран ЕС, а кто нет.
*_"NATO has a process to remove a member, but it's complex and hasn't been used before. A member could be removed if the other members agree that the member is no longer meeting its obligations or is acting in a way that's _*harmful to the alliance's objectives._* However, such a decision is likely to be rare and politically charged."*_
Kick out US over Nordstream
Excellent, as always, Professor. Thank you.
Thank you so much! Have a great weekend. :-)
What nobody seems to discuss is the huge fear in all the countries neighbouring Ukraine that they will be dragged into a war and have to fight and die for a country that has inherited from the USSR lands that had previously belonged to them. They had to renounce all claims on these lands in the name of peace and prosperity, but now ... where is peace? Do not get me wrong, I support Ukraine, but I try to understand the concerns of my conationals and perhaps of people from other neighbouring countries too. Maybe we should be negotiating peace and discussing a real referendum in Crimeea about their apartenence or maybe even independence.
Letting Putin have territories gained with invasions and mass murder is not peace, but normalisation of mass murder and invasions. Plus, that would certainly provoke a massive international conflict in the medium term. Russia didn't make such a huge mess, just to take some bits of Ukraine.
Dont support Ukraine, it is a corrupt, failed state, pushing young men to war at gunpoint while jailing dissenters. It's not a legitimate country nor a democracy. Billionaires are funding it to fill their pockets with military contracts.
Slovakia has as much influence in EU-NATO as Armenia in the USSR. Similar situation for Hungary. EU-NATO does not need to worry too much.
Yes, but the “concern” about Slovakia only serves their intention to interfere in Slovak politics. While NATO and the EU do everything to fuel wars, destroy Ukraine, incite hatred against Russia and let Ukrainians die in an already lost war.
Bravo la SLOVAQUIE ET LA HONGRIE !
As a vassal. this video is a joke a call to vassal ship.
The funny thing is that both Hungary (and lesser extend for now) they are against Brussels and their politics but when is about to stop get money they are yelling "Us, against EU? Never"
Exactly. And yet there will be all sorts here praising them for their principled stance against NATO and the EU. (All the while ignoring the fact that Russia, an effective dictatorship, has invaded and annexed the territory of a sovereign state.)
Hungary indeed HASNT been given EU money for a while now due to its imigration policies. & quite frankly i would also rather pay for any "refused" migrant, than to deal with them. They didnt come here to work or help our country, they came to live on benefits. In the town where my aunt lives you can no longer go to certain parts of the town bc of the migrants. Greetings from Slovakia.
@@JamesKerLindsay As Orban said in one of his interviews Ukraines sovereignity is debatable, for currently its under "protection" of the US mostly. If it wasnt for all those billions of dollars V.Z. is getting from US, then...
EU, on rikollisjärjestö. >>> Jos ette tottele, ette saa enään rahaa.) Näin toimii rikollisjärjestöt. Rahalla uhkaillaan...
@@JamesKerLindsay 😂😂
Μπράβο στη Σλοβακία. Θέτει το συμφέρον της χώρας πρώτα καί μετά όλα τα άλλα ακολουθούν. Μπράβο στον πρόεδρο της.
If you think that Fico is looking out for the interest of his people, then I am afraid to say that you are rather mistaken. It is always depressing to read comments like this. Just take a look at what Orban has done to his country. While taking a populist line, he has overseen huge amounts of corruption and removed many public freedoms. I know academics who won't dare write about what is happening anymore because they are scared. Is that what you applaud?
Another Leader stands up against the NATO and US madness to start a war against Russia , using common sense instead of blind obedience makes him a great leader . My Dad would be proud of him since he was involved in the Slovak Independence.
Unfortunately, you have neglected to report the many national interference programs which the U.S. started funding and operating around Central Europe, Ukraine, and Georgia just to name a few and that much strife inside these countries was due to our (I'm a retired american who has seen us do much damage worldwide) instigation. However, much of what Russia has done in ukraine is exactly what the U.S. government would do given similar circumstances on our border, say in Mexico or in Canada. But the U.S. has an extremely large double standard almost the size of our planet! It would be humorous if it didn't result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocents over the years. My government is well known now in the days of high speed communications as the "do as I say, not as I do" country! We have no right to criticize even the worst countries, as we have done at least as worse as them sometime since 1900. My country has taken away certain civil rights from it's citizens which it used to brag they had which most other democracies didn't come close to. Now in the U.S., the government censors the media blocking any news reporting companies which report a narrative which differs from what the White House wants, even if such reporting by others is factually true. So even if independent (because all major news outlets are owned by large corps.) news reports are factual and true, but does not follow the narrative Washington wants the public to believe is true, Washington DC will censor it, sometimes jailing or deporting foreign journalists. Since the presidency of Bush II, the U.S. government can imprison anyone, even a U.S. citizen, without charges, without legal representation, in an undisclosed location, indefinitely, just by the President claiming they are a threat, no proof needed. The opposite was a right of americans since near the founding of the country and it was only changed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks that this right was taken from us. But, afterward it was implemented, it was supposed to be reversed once they felt they had apprehended or killed the terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks, because americans were rightly concerned that once taken, it would not be returned. So far the law still stands. The NED, RFD, and a Soros controlled and funded organization, all these organizations do is fund uprisings, color revolutions, coups, assassinations, regime changes, media propoganda, train and equip terrorist groups, as well as other things, but always nefarious and malevolent actions.
SLOVAKIA : 👍🤍💙❤
Bravo!
The world is evolving into a multi-polar world. No more to a dominant and oppressive power! Mutual respect, cooperation, justice, prosperity and security for all.
I am not sure whether you really believe this!? I hope not. You do realise that Russia's actions in Ukraine mark a return to the nineteenth-century "might is right" school of territorial gain backed by nuclear threats? It is utterly naive to think that things will be better. If Putin wins, we will be at the dawn of a new era of international insecurity.
@@JamesKerLindsay When Brits and Americans did the SAME UNDER PRETEXT OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION to IRAQ, Syria and many other countries back then you were not concern about these issues
Looking at my viewing history, I seem to have watched about 70% of your videos in recent months. Probably the ones I haven’t watched have been about countries more distant to us, like Sudan, Guyana or Myanmar, although I’m sure they’re all very interesting.
Well now I don't really know what to think after the latest news...
Once again another informative video. Thanks James.
Thank you so much!
And other stupid one.
My answer to you is no Slovakia is a sovereign and independent country that doesn’t cow tow to western pressure. Nuff said👍
OK. In that case, it can always choose to leave the EU and NATO. But, like Hungary, it won’t. I’m always amused by these sort of comments. You think there’s some sort of principle at play here. There isn’t. It is just about self-interest of conmen and authoritarians. But as some people desperately want it to be more than that they actually fool themselves into thinking there is some sort honourable deeper purpose at play. But there isn’t. There really isn’t.
@@JamesKerLindsay Amuse yourself all you like. 🤣🤣What you or I say doesn’t matter. Only the leader of this country is going to matter which way he pivots in this issue.
@@maxkazzora4234 Did you actually watch the video?
@@JamesKerLindsay don’t care 🤣
@@JamesKerLindsay What you say is irrelevant. Slovakia will do what’s best for itself. Nuff said.
Slovakia, like several other countries, has mixed feelings about European integration and handing over sovereignty to Brussels.
Ako hlboko sa mýlite Pane, Slovensko chce byť v prvom rade slovenské vôbec nie proruské ani iné väčšina slovákov si želá neutralitu totiž po minulých rokoch skúseností tak robí čo sa dá...
Very useful
Thank you very much indeed. I am really glad. It’s a country that doesn’t get much attention usually.
The framing of the Ukraine war as an unprovoked aggression by Russia is disingenuous. Never would the US have allowed similar meddling (coup, radical militias, bombing of ethnic Russians) on its border.
Any country is a Sovereign therefor can decide on their own
No. Slovakia is a member of the EU and NATO. It has decided to pool its sovereignty. But if it doesn’t want to join with the rest of the club, it can always choose to leave. But it won’t. It knows where its real future and prosperity lies.
A o tom rozhodnú občania slovenska
@JamesKerLindsay Effectively what you're is that once NATO and the EU have taken a position on geopolitical issues, then the voters of individual member countries can no longer take a contrary decision. If that is so, shouldn't that be made clear to the electorate from the outset? The other thing is if Trump wins in November, the views Fico and Orban towards Russia may no longer appear that heretical in the West. What then?
Despite his questionable pro-EU moves, Fico's bromances with corrupt, fascist, and dictatorial leaders expose his bona fides and agenda. Coalitions are characteristically unstable and uncertain, it is up to the citizens of Slovakia to address their preference between the EU or Russia, and make it known.
What a biased article. Besides, don't you have enough problems in Britain? Why do you have to pick on that tiny country that wants peace?!
I'm not sure you understand the concept of a YT channel focusing on international relations. By the way, if you looked, you would see that I looked at Britain last week.
Nevurušujte nás tu sme pri žatve, to Vám fakt nie je jasné aké toto bude mať následky aj na naše hranice? My nebudeme tí ktorí budú na koni práve naopak
Interesting overview. Thanks
Thank you!
Excellent update in a nutshell ... thank you! R (Australia)
Thank you so much. Slovakia is a really interesting country that is often overlooked - at least when it’s not being confused with Slovenia! :-) 🇸🇰🇸🇮
Are Czechs and Slovaks different ethnic groups or merely different linguistically but of a singular ethnicity?
Great question. Here’s where we get into a complex area. I would say that while they are very close, their languages are very similar, and they even share a predominant Catholic religious identity, they nevertheless regard themselves as different nations. But even that has been contested. A great explanation I saw for the problems that arose in the interwar period after unification was that while the Slovaks saw themselves as a different people, the Czechs just saw Slovakia as merely a different region. I think this sums it up well.
They are both Slavic nations. But are different folks.
Slovakia was a part of Hungary for centuries, whereas the Czechs had their own kingdom. A different history. Similar languages
according to definition i know we are different nations. there nations are defined as people with common history common language and common culture. by all of those we are different nations.
It's similar to the difference between Scotland & England
@@ahdhudbbh nope
niekto tu zámerne stavia veci na hranu chce vyvolávať konflikt a vojnu choďte si po svojom !
Bracia Słowacy całym sercem jestem z Wami. Macie wielkiego przywódce FICO, to człowiek z charakterem, wie co się rozgrywa w tej "demokratycznej" europie. Tylko Wam bracia Słowacy i braciom Węgrom, pozazdrościć takich przywódców. Wszystkiego co najlepsze dla Was, prawda zawsze zwycięży, a my Polacy nie mamy zamiaru ginąć za anglosaskie, amerykańskie interesy.
If Orban and Fico had any integrity and were the heroes of national sovereignty that you seem to think they are, then they would make the case to leave the EU. But they aren’t so they won’t.
In the 1930s, the Czechs oppressed the other minorities in Czechoslovakia, something we forget. The Czechs made the Germans in the Sudetenland speak Czech in their schools. The Germans wanted to be part of Germany, not ruled from Prague. The Slovaks were keen to separate from the Czechs in the 1990s. When I travelled through Slovakia with some Czech friends they complained that the Slovaks were too close to Russia. I have never been convinced that many of these countries would be willing to fight their fellow Slavs in Russia. Britain needs to be careful, most politicians don't understand this part of the world.
Thanks. It’s interesting that you mention this. I actually had a bit of longer section on the 1930s in this video, but I decided that cut it as it was more about Slovakia than about Czech and Slovak relations. But it certainly seems that there were serious disparities. As one comment I saw put it, the Czechs saw Slovakia as a region rather than a nation.
That said, I’ve always been fascinated by how close the relationship is between the two countries and how well they get on. And I’ll never forget the day I accidentally held a lunch for two of my dearest friends - one Czech and one Slovak - on the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution! They found it very funny. :-)
pan-Slavism is part of Russian propaganda. do you know that Ukrainians are Slavs as well? Slovaks were keen on fighting along Nazi Germany against Poland and Russia. these Fico's talk about "not supporting war among Slavs" is just tons of propaganda for local audience. BTW Slovakia has an impressive military industry and IS STILL sending ammunition to Ukraine, as Fico admitted in recent interview... so his position rather is "we don't support among Slavs unless we make money on it"...
Slovaks are mentally much closer to Austria and Germany than to Russia. In case of Czechs I'm not sure.
To that period of the Second World War, please try to add the "Slovak National Uprising" against the Nazis.
And maybe also "Operation Anthropoid" and big names "Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš".
Well thank you.
I think that on the Ukraine issue the Slovak pm is doing something similar to the US and UK on Gaza, they’re both positions of brazen economic and political self interest which is how states normally act anyway but there are some issues of morality where there is such a clear right and wrong like Ukraine and Gaza where the self interest is heinous and reprehensible