Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia

Here’s CITIZENARTS founder Jim Gabbe with a word on our newest podcast series, IN THEIR WORDS: What public officials do for us. In interviews with key local and federal “public servants,” we shed light on how their work may be often little understood but has an immediate, direct impact on our daily lives. EPISODE NOTES: More about IN THEIR WORDS: What public officials do for us, including links to download, can be found at https://www.citizenartscreative.org/intheirwords

CITIZENARTS’s Founder Jim Gabbe provides a brief overview of its latest podcast series – from the cautious, but nearly unanimous and obvious optimism of a swath of Americans in the run up to the 2016 elections to the growing skepticism and cynicism of today. Restlessness that, in the great American tradition, has the potential to lead to major change. A More – or less – Perfect Union… what matters most to Americans as elections approach is available wherever you get your podcasts and at https://www.citizenartscreative.org/unionpodcast

In this second and final episode of Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia, CITIZENARTS founder Jim Gabbe is once again joined by a distinguished panel of Czechs and other experts on the Czech Republic. In this episode, the discussion turns to the Russian war on Ukraine. Given its history with Russia, fight for freedom and democracy and proximity to Ukraine - this tragic confrontation is front and center in the minds of the Czech people. Indeed, there are striking parallels between the Czech Republic and Ukraine experience - notably a growing orientation toward western Europe and democracy - and a brutally repressive response from Russia. Joining us once again are: Jan Kavan, a student leader during the Prague Spring, later foreign minister, deputy prime minister of the Czech Republic and signatory to its NATO membership, and president of the United Nations General Assembly; Pavel Hlavacek, professor and authority on politics in the Czech Republic, and US foreign policy/security issues in East Asia; Eva Klabalova, designer, product developer, lecturer, and founder/creative director of KAVA footwear; and Jan Železný, the youngest member elected to his town council and currently a PhD student focused on global political economics, particularly the US-China rivalry and US foreign policy in Asia. And joining us for this episode are Aleš Fuksa, a noted Czech journalist and Scott Andrews, a former US Army linguist and currently a researcher and lecturer at the Military History Institute of the Czech University of Defence. EPISODE NOTES Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia is a production of CITIZENARTS. www.citizenartscreative.orgMore about this podcast, including bios for our distinguished panel can be found at www.citizenartscreative.org/libertyvstyranny For more about MARCH, CITIZENARTS's audio drama podcast, please visit www.citizenartscreative.org/marchpodcast Information about KAVE Footwear can be found at https://www.kavefootwear.com/en/ Photo credit: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Music credit: Frederic Chopin, Waltz in Bm. Music by Nesrality from Pixabay We'd love your feedback. You can get in touch with us by emailing jeff.lewis@citizenartscreative.org, and please subscribe, rate and review!

CITIZENARTS founder Jim Gabbe provides context for the deep understanding that the Czech people have about the Soviet Union’s subjugation of Central and Eastern European states and the victorious fight for a free and democratic Czech Republic. Jim and four distinguished Czechs engage in an enlightening, provocative discussion about the history of democracy in Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union’s subjugation of the country, the hope of the Prague Spring which was crushed when Warsaw Pact tanks rolled into Prague, the victory of freedom and democracy in the Velvet Revolution and the newly formed Czech Republic’s decision to join NATO. This discussion was made all the more relevant given the Czech Republic’s appointment to the UN Human Rights Council, replacing Russia’s membership that was suspended by the UN General Assembly on May 10, 2022. Joining us are: Jan Kavan, a student leader during the Prague Spring, later foreign minister, deputy prime minister of the Czech Republic and signatory to its NATO membership, and president of the United Nations General Assembly; Pavel Hlavacek, professor and authority on politics in the Czech Republic, and US foreign policy/security issues in East Asia; Eva Klabalova, designer, product developer, lecturer, and founder/creative director of KAVA footwear; and Jan Železný, the youngest member elected to his town council and currently a PhD student focused on global political economics, particularly the US-China rivalry and US foreign policy in Asia. EPISODE NOTES Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia is a production of CITIZENARTS https://www.citizenartscreative.org. More about this podcast, including bios for our distinguished panel can be found at: https://www.citizenartscreative.org/libertyvstyranny Please be sure to subscribe to hear Episode Two - Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech views on Russia’s war in Ukraine. For more about MARCH, CITIZENARTS's audio drama podcast, please visit: https://www.citizenartscreative.org/marchpodcast Information about KAVE Footwear can be found at https://www.kavefootwear.com/en/ Photo credit: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency We'd love your feedback. You can get in touch with us by emailing jeff.lewis@citizenartscreative.org, and please subscribe, rate and review!

Listen as founder Jim Gabbe provides a brief overview of the latest CITIZENARTS podcast, the importance of the Czech experience to understanding what is happening – and could be to come – in Central and Eastern Europe given Russia’s latest aggression, and introduces the distinguished panel assembled for Episode one. EPISODE NOTES Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia is a production of CITIZENARTS https://www.citizenartscreative.org. More about this podcast, including bios for our distinguished panel can be found at: https://www.citizenartscreative.org/libertyvstyranny Please be sure to subscribe to hear Episode Two - Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech views on Russia’s war in Ukraine. For more about MARCH, CITIZENARTS's audio drama podcast, please visit: https://www.citizenartscreative.org/marchpodcast Information about KAVE Footwear can be found at https://www.kavefootwear.com/en/ Photo credit: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency We'd love your feedback. You can get in touch with us by emailing jeff.lewis@citizenartscreative.org, and please subscribe, rate and review!