Historie Protokolů sionských mudrců, po Mein Kampfu nejsmrtonosnější knihy v dějinách, má všechny rysy politického thrilleru, černé kroniky a románu v žánru pláště a díky. Hemží se to v ní dvojitými agenty a mezinárodními špehy, hochštaplery a plagiátory, jezuity a svobodnými zednáři, satanisty v kněžských sutanách a ruskými mystiky v sandálech, korunovanými hlavami, sebevražednými atentátníky i tvůrci spikleneckých teorií. Je to hotový materiál na bestseller, který právě zaplavil knihkupecké pulty v Česku a Polsku. Pražský hřbitov, nejnovější román Umberta Eca, se má stát hitem tohoto podzimu. Nejjedovatější květ magické Prahy Recenzovat bestseller má asi takový smysl jako vozit dříví do […]

The American political scientist Joseph Nye has provoked a great debate with his reflections on the role of soft power in foreign policy. He suggested that a state can assert its will in its relations with other states either by economic or military means (hard power), or by means of its attractiveness or sex appeal.  One might say that national states emanate charisma in that they are formed around civilizational values, a term [the late Czech philosopher] Jan Patočka coined for systems of ideas and experiences capable of being universally human by definition rather than through the assertion of the […]

Fear is spreading around Europe. It is gripping those who live by their own labour, the young as well as the old, the middle classes as well as those who are less well off. From Madrid and London, through Rome and Paris, to Berlin and Warsaw labourers, students, businessmen and intellectuals are scared. A Europe of peace is turning into a Europe of fear. And into a Europe of anger. It is mainly the fear of a global crisis, indeed of disaster, that is destroying the life of societies, pushing them into shortages, chaos and violence, accompanied by growing anger […]