Katrina's backwash

Kick 'em where it hurts has been Jiří Paroubek's political credo. He used it on Pavel Němec (after Němec left as development minister), on Mirek Topolánek (as the "best opposition leader ČSSD could hope for") and on Václav Klaus (as the ODS honorary chair). Paroubek went a step higher last week, when Czech Radio reported from New York that America didn't impress him much. He said he'll be active in foreign affairs but will concentrate more on the EU. When the CR's ambassadors met in Prague early this month, he said there are "various ways to look at the motivations and goals" behind the U.S. attack on Iraq. Before leaving for New York, he was enthusiastic about providing Kč 25m in aid for hurricane relief but was all but turned down. Katrina has changed the way the world looks at the U.S. and is giving Paroubek a reason for a slight shift in foreign-policy priorities.