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2 WaPo articles on parallels between Czech (Zeman) and US (Trump) politics
1. The WaPo Editorial Board
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/from-the-czech-republic-a-warning-for-our-midterms-the-russians-are-still-meddling/2018/01/29/4498a748-0517-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html?
MILOS ZEMAN, the president of the Czech Republic, speaks and acts as if he were a pure Russian agent. Virtually alone among senior Western politicians, he defends the seizure and annexation of Crimea by the regime of Vladimir Putin, denies the presence of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and calls for the lifting of all sanctions on the regime. Following his reelection Saturday, he reiterated his proposal that Czechs vote in a referendum on whether to remain in NATO and the European Union — the fracturing of which is the Kremlin’s most treasured goal.
It therefore shouldn’t be surprising that Mr. Zeman’s narrow reelection was aided in part by significant spending of unknown origin, and by a vicious online disinformation campaign directed against his opponent. Jiri Drahos, an honorable scientist who campaigned against Mr. Zeman on a platform of reaffirming ties to the West, told The Post it was “logical” to suppose that the assault could be traced to “the Russian secret service and related organizations” — and he is right.
The outcome of the Czech election is a setback for the West and its supporters in the country, but as important, it is evidence that the Putin regime has not restrained its efforts to subvert Western democracies through disinformation and corruption, despite increasing exposure of the operations and sanctions imposed following the 2016 U.S. election. The Czech case is one more warning that Moscow can be expected to target the upcoming U.S. midterms — and that, to date, the Trump administration has done next to nothing to defend the American electoral system.. .
Mr. Zeman. . . benefited from a billboard and newspaper advertising campaign sponsored by unidentified “friends.” The message was the same that the president has used in recent years to build a base of support among older people and those in rural areas: xenophobia directed at Muslims and other potential immigrants. Though the Czech Republic has accepted only 12 of the 2,600 asylum seekers it was assigned by the E.U., Mr. Zeman warns of a Muslim “invasion” that could trigger a “super-Holocaust.” He has called for the “liquidation” of journalists who criticize him and spoken of women in crude, sexist terms. He proudly calls himself “the Czech Trump.” That he was reelected speaks to the broad attraction of crude ethno-populism in countries across the West. That he likely had help from Moscow should be of concern to Americans of both parties seeking office this November.
2. by Anne Applebaum
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/01/29/the-czech-election-says-more-about-the-state-of-western-democracy-than-wed-like-to-admit/?
The Czech election says more about the state of Western democracy than we’d like to admit He isn’t the country’s most important politician. . . Nevertheless, the Czech president represents his country abroad, speaks on its behalf and generally helps set the tone and tenor of public debate, much like the American president does in the United States. And without question, the reelection of Milos Zeman — who is vulgar and sexist (not to mention aggressively pro-Russian, pro-Chinese, anti-European and anti-NATO) and has been accused of public drunkenness — will set the tone and tenor of public life in the Czech Republic.
. . . The election of Zeman the first time around could be explained away as a fluke. His reelection, although very narrow . . .cannot be so easily wished away. . . his truly vile election campaign both echoes the politics of many older democracies and may be a harbinger of the future for others. . . . Czech political and media culture are heavily influenced by popular (and anonymous) websites that pump out a constant stream of pro-Russian, anti-NATO propaganda, promoting fear and hatred of Muslim immigrants and resentment of an alleged “elite” that is far weaker than the corrupt business class and Russian entities who supported the president’s campaign. But if that sounds like a problem of an immature democracy, think about this: Precisely that same sentence, with those same words, could have been written about the Trump campaign.
Indeed, the further similarities are eerie. In the second round of the election, Zeman’s social media operation began smearing his opponent, Jiri Drahos, a neophyte who ran a campaign arguing for decency and civilized debate, as a pedophile. Disgusting? Absurd? Only in the primitive East? Think back to the final weeks of the U.S. election campaign and remember “Pizzagate,” the bizarre conspiracy theory that alleged the existence of a pedophile ring, run by Hillary Clinton, in the nonexistent basement of a Washington restaurant. Hundreds of thousands spread the story in its first five weeks, and one of them even grabbed his gun and drove to the restaurant in order to liberate the nonexistent children from the nonexistent basement. There is nothing especially “eastern” about the Five Star Movement either, the party that is currently leading the Italian opinion polls, made a rapid recent switch to pro-Russian policies, and whose anti-vaccine conspiracy theories have led to a huge rise in infectious diseases. Nor is there anything “eastern” about the other political leader in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, who is also perfectly capable of vulgarity and sexism (though in a smooth Italian rather than a blunter Czech version), has a bizarrely close relationship with Vladimir Putin, and no scruples about anything at all. There isn’t anything “eastern” about the Austrian Freedom Party, which is openly racist, backed by Russia, and now, as part of a government coalition, controls the Austrian foreign, interior and defense ministries.
Of course, it may be no coincidence that this particular brand of politics captured presidencies and prime ministerships in central Europe: The independent media is extremely weak in small countries where advertising markets can’t support it, and public debate is dominated by conspiratorial websites and cheap tabloids. . . . Yet consider rural America, where the independent media is extremely weak, where advertising markets can’t support it, and public debate is dominated by conspiratorial websites and cheap tabloids. So maybe there’s no need to say anything except that some of the world’s oldest democracies and some of the world’s newest democracies have more in common than you think.
. . . The election of Zeman the first time around could be explained away as a fluke. His reelection, although very narrow . . .cannot be so easily wished away. . . his truly vile election campaign both echoes the politics of many older democracies and may be a harbinger of the future for others. . . . Czech political and media culture are heavily influenced by popular (and anonymous) websites that pump out a constant stream of pro-Russian, anti-NATO propaganda, promoting fear and hatred of Muslim immigrants and resentment of an alleged “elite” that is far weaker than the corrupt business class and Russian entities who supported the president’s campaign. But if that sounds like a problem of an immature democracy, think about this: Precisely that same sentence, with those same words, could have been written about the Trump campaign.
Indeed, the further similarities are eerie. In the second round of the election, Zeman’s social media operation began smearing his opponent, Jiri Drahos, a neophyte who ran a campaign arguing for decency and civilized debate, as a pedophile. Disgusting? Absurd? Only in the primitive East? Think back to the final weeks of the U.S. election campaign and remember “Pizzagate,” the bizarre conspiracy theory that alleged the existence of a pedophile ring, run by Hillary Clinton, in the nonexistent basement of a Washington restaurant. Hundreds of thousands spread the story in its first five weeks, and one of them even grabbed his gun and drove to the restaurant in order to liberate the nonexistent children from the nonexistent basement. There is nothing especially “eastern” about the Five Star Movement either, the party that is currently leading the Italian opinion polls, made a rapid recent switch to pro-Russian policies, and whose anti-vaccine conspiracy theories have led to a huge rise in infectious diseases. Nor is there anything “eastern” about the other political leader in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, who is also perfectly capable of vulgarity and sexism (though in a smooth Italian rather than a blunter Czech version), has a bizarrely close relationship with Vladimir Putin, and no scruples about anything at all. There isn’t anything “eastern” about the Austrian Freedom Party, which is openly racist, backed by Russia, and now, as part of a government coalition, controls the Austrian foreign, interior and defense ministries.
Of course, it may be no coincidence that this particular brand of politics captured presidencies and prime ministerships in central Europe: The independent media is extremely weak in small countries where advertising markets can’t support it, and public debate is dominated by conspiratorial websites and cheap tabloids. . . . Yet consider rural America, where the independent media is extremely weak, where advertising markets can’t support it, and public debate is dominated by conspiratorial websites and cheap tabloids. So maybe there’s no need to say anything except that some of the world’s oldest democracies and some of the world’s newest democracies have more in common than you think.
More at the link.
