An American President in Prague

American President George W. Bush has begun his eight-day tour of Europe, kicking it off in our lovely Prague. While visiting, no doubt top on President Bush's agenda will be talks about the proposed radar base the U.S. wants to locate in the Czech Republic, as part of its missile shield in Eastern Europe. Another hot topic for the President will be Putin's Russia and its increasingly strong choke-hold on democracy, ahead of Wednesday's G8 summit in Germany in which the two leaders will meet.

Before the President arrived, a peaceful protest was held near the Prague Castle hours before Bush's arrival and the closing of the castle to the public. The protest was mainly against the proposed missile shield, but also criticized U.S. foreign policy, which most experts will agree hasn't exactly been handled too well by the Bush administration. Ironically then, the American President is scheduled to speak at a pro-democracy conference in the Czech capital, and will likely meet human rights activists critical of both Putin's and Bush's handling of democracy in their countries. Russia will undoubtedly be mentioned in the President's speech.

While the President will stay in Prague for two days, more protests are planned by the Czech public, most of whom are against their government's plans for the American base. Outside the capital, villages in the Czech Republic near where the base is planned have already held referenda, and have overwhelmingly rejected the idea of having a base so close to their homes. Now, only time will tell if the Czech government will actually listen to its people, or bow down to pressures from an increasingly forceful and gun-happy American government.