Turkey, refugees and the Czech elections
Some ČSSD-friendly commentators were predicting a few months ago that the refugee crisis would fade away and that Miloš Zeman would become a man without a mission. Whether this was naiveté or wishful thinking by these Zeman-hating opinion leaders is unclear, but they couldn't have been wider from the mark. Both Zeman and Andrej Babiš have evidently identified the migration crisis as their chief issue for the fall elections. Whereas ČSSD now finds itself in a dangerous refugee trap, as we wrote last week, the mounting problems with Turkey put Zeman and Babiš in their element. Zeman has been talking trash about Turkey since 2006, when he spoke against giving it EU membership. Babiš was no slouch either, having declared a year ago that Turkey didn't belong in Europe. ČSSD fatally underestimated the situation in Turkey and must now pay the price at the polls. Just how big a price will be determined in part by Erdogan.
Glossary of difficult words
without a mission - without a purpose;wide of/from the mark - incorrect or inaccurate;
in one's element - in a situation or environment that one particularly likes and in which one can perform well;
to talk trash about someone - (informal) to speak disparagingly, often insultingly or abusively, about a person or group;
slouch - an awkward, lazy or inept person.