The Latin American Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy
The Latin American Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy

Author(s): Ondřej Slačálek
Subject(s): Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Political history, Economic policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Political behavior, Politics and communication, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
Published by: Ústav mezinárodních vztahů
Keywords: Czech Republic; Foreign Policy; Latin America; Czech Republic´s Presidency of the Council of the EU; Economic and Cultural Relations;
Summary/Abstract: From the point of view of the Czech Foreign Policy (CFP), Latin America is considered as a region of rather marginal importance. Although there is a certain consensus on Latin America’s political significance and the opportunity for export, since 1989 the region has not been a priority of the Czech Republic’s foreign policy relations. This view of the Czech diplomacy is connected with the absence of conceptual documents. In fact, only few issues have seriously provoked political discords: namely Cuba and Venezuela (the latter mainly in the last few years). Both countries have been targets of criticism by influential Czech human right NGOs and the Czech diplomacy for a long time. On the other hand, a part of the Czech left still has the tendency to idealize left-wing governments in Latin America or to express some sympathy with them. These discords evoke the Cold War rhetoric on both sides (criticism in the light of human rights issues by the Czech right and also some left wing parties vs. advocacy of the regimes against U.S. interference on the part of the left). These disputes have referred not only to political issues of Latin America or Cuba, but to the role of identity and the historical experience of the participants or the comparative similarity of dictatorial regimes as well.

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