Syllabus
Balkans as a traditional object of Austro-Hungarian foreign policy interests.
The origin of Czechoslovak diplomatic corps and the attempt to model it's Balkans foreign policy like in the Monarchy age.
Cooperation with states that succeeded from the Monarchy in the Balkans (Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes; Romania); effort to hold on to economic influence in Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.
Little Entente, hopes and reality.
Second World War, cooperation with governments in exile (Yugoslavia, Greece).
Rekindling of after-war relationships, the failure of continuing prewar patterns.
A growing division with Yugoslavia, following the path of USSR. Reinforcing friendly relations with other Soviet satellites - Romania and Bulgaria.
The 60s. Attempts at deeper independent cooperation. Swift "normalization" in this field after occupation of the Czechoslovakia in 1968.
The 1989 revolution. Building autonomous and independent Czechoslovak and Czech foreign policy. The return to traditional spheres of interest in new circumstances. (The division of Czechoslovak state, wholesale crisis of the Balkans, dissolution of the Soviet Union, war in Yugoslavia.).
The path to NATO and EU, conforming the Czech foreign policy.
The role of Czech foreign policy in the scope of collective foreign and security policy of the EU in relation to the states of West Balkans.
The perspective of Czech foreign policy interests in Balkans in the context of European and global development.
Annotation
The course will strive to summarize Czech and Czechoslovak foreign policy towards the states of the Balkans from the year 1918 to present day. It follows the general direction and changes to foreign policy of Czechoslovak and Czech states in that period.
It will focus on main objective and subjective factors, important figures and changing priorities that often influenced and keep on influencing foreign policy.