Czech Experts Discuss the 2011 State of the Union Address

February 4, 2011

Panelist from the left: Daniel Anýž, Kryštof Kozák, Eric Best; and Petr Drulák

"Americans are still on top but they fear that someone will catch up with them," agreed participants of a panel discussion on President Obama’s State of the Union address at the American Center on February 1, 2011. The panel included experts on U.S. domestic and foreign policy, including Daniel Anýž of Hospodářské noviny; Petr Drulák, Director of the Institute of International Relations; Kryštof Kozák of the Department of American Studies of Charles University; and Michael Romancov of Metropolitan University Prague.

The State of the Union primarily focused on domestic issues. President Obama emphasized the necessity for the U.S. to remain competitive – and to achieve it, the U.S. needs to invest into research, innovation, education, and infrastructure. The panelists pointed out that progress in these areas can only be expected in mid- and long-term. In other words, President Obama will not  probably benefit from these programs in his campaign for re-election in 2012.  According to Kryštof Kozák, it is absolutely necessary that the U.S. learns to cope better with the transition to a post-industrial digital economy.

Despite State of the Union's general references to foreign policy, the panelists spent most of the discussion on foreign policy issues, such as Egypt, the rise of China and the relations with Russia.  Daniel Anýž contemplated the impact of the Egyptian crisis on the Czech Republic – in this case, he mentioned the possibility of an increase in oil prices.

In U.S.-Russia relations, the panelists still expected certain tensions despite the ratification of the New START Treaty due to a continuing Cold War mind-set and mutual suspicion.  Lifting it will still require a lot of diplomatic work. Attention was also paid to Asia and to China, which has risen to play a more important role in international relations.

The last segment of the discussion was dedicated to the new U.S. ambassador in Prague, Norman Eisen. Erik Best, the panel moderator, quoted Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg who said that the new ambassador “will not believe his eyes” when he learns about the practices in Czech politics. In response, one panelist remarked: “We all can´t believe our eyes.”