Snyder, Musk and Prague civil society

Historian Timothy Snyder has decided to make history and not just to write it. "Of course it's a coup," he declared two weeks ago with regard to the actions of Elon Musk and his followers. The intended effect of these actions, Snyder wrote, is to "undo democratic practice and violate human rights." His recent posts on X are mostly about Donald Trump's injustices, and his Substack article in Dec. said that the Department of Government Efficiency is an "agency of destruction, run by people who believe that government should exist for the wealthy or not at all." On X last week, this same DOGE reported that $729m in programs were being canceled. Among them is $32m for the Prague Civil Society Centre, a project of People in Need. Historian Timothy Snyder was on the center's board from its founding in 2015 until June 28, 2021. He received about Kč 500,000 for about 10 board meetings. It's not a lot money, but it's enough to question his motives. Snyder was part of the structures that Musk is dismantling.