Václav Havel was President of Czechoslovakia (1989-92) and President of the Czech Republic (1993-2003). An author and playwright, he was one of the principal authors of the human rights manifesto Charter 77, and remained an important voice in global affairs until his death in 2011.
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Vaclav Havel
Commentaries by Vaclav Havel
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The Intellectual and Politics
Václav Havel, who died on December 18, was that rare intellectual who, rather than forcing his way into politics, had politics forced upon h…
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Politics And Theatre
In March 1997, while serving as President of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel – who died on December 18th -- offered the following assessmen…
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Ukraine Loses Its Way
PRAGUE – Since the election of President Viktor Yanukovych in 2010, Ukraine has experienced a significant and alarming deterioration in its …
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Solidarity with Japan
PRAGUE – The shattering earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 have wrought devastating physical damage – aggravated by the th…
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Human Rights and Leprosy
PRAGUE – At the end of last year, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution approving principles and guidelines t…
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Burma’s Democratic Charade
PRAGUE – On November 7, when Burma’s first general election for almost two decades is to be held, a well-rehearsed script will play out. The…
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Killing Justice in Russia
PRAGUE – The death of Eduard Chuvashov, a judge killed in cold blood on April 12 in Moscow, is another in a long and growing list of murders…
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Freedom Arrested in Venezuela
PRAGUE – The arrest of Oswaldo Álvarez Paz, a former president of Venezuela’s Chamber of Deputies, governor of the Venezuelan state of Zulia…
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The Ghost of Appeasement
PRAGUE – One of the fundamental pillars of Europe’s political architecture is a strong and enduring belief in the universal validity of equa…
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Humanity’s Stake in Gaza
Amman – Wasted time is always to be regretted. But in the Middle East, wasting time is also dangerous. Another year has now passed with litt…
What Communism Still Teaches Us
philip meguire: 1988-91, Gorbachev, Thatcher and Reagan left the stage. Since then, there has been only one statesman: Vaclav Havel. Since his retirement, our planet has been a lonely place for those of us who expect…
Redefining the West
J St. Clair: the last paragraph is the main point....