Czech nationalism and the president

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Klaus fears Schwarzenberg would not defend Czech interests -press
The foreign minister must "defend the interests of the Czech Republic clearly, sharply and out of his own conviction," Klaus writes.

He says that Schwarzenberg is linked with the Czech Republic only by a smaller part of his life and property, and that he has come in contact with the normal life of Czech people only marginally.

This is a good example of some of the national prejudices that the president is exploiting here (no different, though, from the recent concerns in the US about Senators swearing on the Quoran). Czechs have a long history of mistrust of Austria and Germany so Klaus' remarks are not surprising (if misguided). However, this nationalism isn't as strong as it once was so it will be interesting to follow how it resonates with the populace.

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