Visitors to the Czech Republic today can hardly feel the traces of 40 years of communist rule, but while the trauma still lingers on, gone are all things Russian and the United States is what people look towards to fill the vacuum.
The Prague government has had a difficult time convincing the public that membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is crucial for Czech security. At the same time, support for eventual European Union membership is also waning.
On at least on two occasions, President Vaclav Havel has "invited" U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright—a Czech by birth—to return to her native country and run for President. She has declined the offers.
At the "birth" of Czechoslovakia, which was once part of the Roman Empire and later an Austro-Hungarian monarchy, America was the "midwife". It was with the help of Czech-Americans that Tomas G. Masaryk persuaded President Wilson to support the cause of the Czechs and the Slovaks in the early 1900's.
It was in Washington DC where Masaryk drafted the Declaration of Czechoslovak Independence on October 18, 1918, and later became the first President of the newly independent state.
A lot has changed since the First Republic. Independence ended with the German takeover in 1939 and in 1948 Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968 the country was invaded by Warsaw Pact troops. Democracy was snuffed out and the country remained under communist rule.
But the old traditions, and Masaryk's dreams, were alive and it came as no surprise when in January 1, 1993—two years after the collapse of Soviet authority—the country peacefully split into two ethnic components: the Czech Republic and Slovakia, thanks to President Havel, a leading anti-Communist dissident and playwright.
It was a nice way to start a new year, but seven years later, the Czech Republic's image as one of the most stable and prosperous post-communist states has remained wounded as the country slipped into a mild recession in 1998.
But despite these economic hardships, and a negative real growth rate for 1998, the Czech Republic continues to attract big investors. The German car manufacturer Volkswagen holds a controlling share in Skoda, the Czech automobile giant, and Intel, the computer software giant, is actively negotiating a deal for the establishment of a multi-million dollar facility to serve its European markets.
As the internet revolution sweeps the world, Czech software engineers are increasingly finding themselves in the spotlight. One recent acquisition by the U.S.-based Sun Microsystems of the Czech Java developer Netbeans has turned many young Web entrepreneurs into overnight celebrities and millionaires.
Many small hotels now have European partners who are actively involved in Prague's lucrative real estate. Hundreds of old buildings, especially in central Prague, have been renovated, and new shops have opened along the city's main boulevards.
The face-lift has been dramatic. Nothing looks gray anymore. Prague has always been beautiful, but with all the cleaning and reconstruction, its beauty shines more than ever.
"Everyone sees a great future here, and whatever the economic problems, most people are convinced that they are temporary and nothing more than part of the transition from a controlled to an open market economy," an Israeli investor said.
"I bought this building and renovated it a few years ago, and it has already paid for itself. The restaurant is doing great and so is the retail space I rent to name-brand stores. I cannot complain," he said.
Under President Havel, freedom and democracy have flourished. Czech citizens can change their governments democratically under a multi-party system which has given birth to more than 50 political organizations. The judiciary is independent by law and in practice, and the electoral system is untarnished.
In fact, a large number of judges were dismissed between 1989 and 1992 for connections with the former Communist regime. Many others resigned voluntarily.
But despite the fact that the country has a largely homogenous population with a dominant Christian tradition, a February 1999 opinion poll indicated that the vast majority of the citizens do not identify themselves as members of an organized religion.
The poll results showed that a staggering 64 percent of Czechs see themselves as atheists in a country where freedom of religion is not only part of the constitution, but is also actively supported by the government. Churches receive more than 88 million dollars annually from the Czech government and the funds are used not only to pay the salaries of clergymen, but also to fund church-run medical, charitable and educational activities as well as the maintenance of church memorials and buildings.
"The Czechs have bounced out of the old communist mentality faster than some others," said a Western diplomat. "It's like the collective memory of the nation has been awakened to Masaryk's dream, his humanist legacy and democratic ideals." However the transition has not been easy. Despite massive privatization, the economic problems are often attributed to too much direct and indirect government influence on the privatized sector, the sometimes ineffective management of privatized firms and the shortage of financial analysts for the banking system.
The end of the communist era has also brought about another visible change: drugs , beggars and homeless people. Unemployment—which hit 9.8 percent in January—is also on the rise.
According to some Western intelligence sources the country is now one of the transshipment points for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish and Latin American cocaine to western Europe.
In Prague, a city of 1.2 million often described as magical, photogenic and a jewel in the heart of Europe, the homeless are a crude reminder that despite the glitter many are failing in the transition to a market economy. There are no official estimates for the homeless—who were always present to some degree but kept out of sight during the communist years— yet one thing is certain: their numbers are growing.
Tourists arriving in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, are often handed a small pamphlet warning them against "bogus money-changers, and people offering gambling, accommodation and escort services."
One such pamphlet given to this reporter at a tourist office shortly after arriving at Prague's modern airport started with the word BEWARE! in bold print.
"When democracy came to Prague, it was unfortunately accompanied by the inevitable surge in crime. Every day many tourists are ripped-off. Please, if you want to retain fond memories of our beautiful city, take care !!," the pamphlet advises. The warning, however, has not deterred the influx of thousands of tourists who visit Prague every year, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, rich not only in culture, but also in its magnificently preserved churches, castles, museums and narrow cobble-stone streets.
Along with the tourists, thousands of asylum seekers have also converged on Prague and the other cities of the Czech Republic, especially from the republics of the former Soviet Union, including Armenia. For most of the 1990's Prague was an open city. There were no visa requirements for the citizens of not only western Europe—who still come and go at will— but also for most of the old Eastern Bloc countries and the former USSR. The Czech Republic, which is slightly smaller than South Carolina and has a population of a little over 10 million, began feeling the pressure.
This attitude, which is not part of the official policy of the Czech Republic, is nevertheless a source of indirect discrimination against the citizens of the former Soviet Union.
"We do get into uncomfortable situations sometimes because of this attitude. We feel it in our dealings with government agencies, landlords, and even our own customers. It is not a serious problem, but can be very uncomfortable at times," he said. "It would have been different if we were Americans."
