Pavel, Babiš and U.S.-led escalation
The West is creeping toward greater military involvement in Ukraine, which Adam Černý referred to in HN last week as "boiling a frog" without knowing what Vladimir Putin's red line is. PM Petr Fiala took a clear stance on the build-up in his New Year's address, when he said that his government is "systematically supporting the participation of domestic industry in military procurement" and that many Czech defense-industry companies have expanded their production. He was in effect signaling the implementation on the Czech level of the Nato declaration from the June 29 Madrid summit, which he attended and at which member nations agreed to "expand partnership with industry." Andrej Babiš's campaign billboards raised a public debate last week about whether the president could "drag Czechia into war," but little has been said so far about whether Babiš or Petr Pavel would try as president to use the CR's veto over Nato decisions to slow, halt, reverse or accelerate this U.S.-led escalation. This is the ultimate war-powers question, but last night's presidential duel on Czech TV left viewers none the wiser.
Glossary of difficult words
creeping - moving slowing in a way that is difficult or impossible to stop or prevent;
build-up - a gradual accumulation or increase, typically of something negative that leads to a problem;
procurement - the act of obtaining or acquiring something; the act or occupation of acquiring military equipment and supplies;
war power - an extraordinary power exercised usually by the executive branch of a government in the prosecution of a war;
to be none the wiser - not to understand or be aware of.