Hussein Shobokshi I recently participated in an important diplomatic occasion in the Czech Republic's capital, Prague. It was the gathering of their honorary consuls from around the world and they were all basically engaged in meetings to witness firsthand the plans of the Czech government to expand its economic, political and cultural ties around the world. The Czech Republic has been free from its communist past over twenty years now. It is relatively a small country with a population of barely over ten million and a half. It is also a landlocked country in Central Europe with no direct access to the sea. All of this did not prevent this country from becoming a successful “tiger” in Europe, exporting its unique products and services all over the globe, while creating centers of excellence in important sectors such as health, tourism, industry and education. These areas gave the Czech Republic an important distinguishable “print”, giving the country a psychological edge and a very important positive image in the minds of the public. It's that kind of impact that the Czech Republic aims to consistently achieve; probably like what Switzerland did or may be Denmark as well. The Czech Republic provides the world a great example of how it can liberate itself from a troubling past, with an enormous amount of “baggage” to turn itself and embrace a liberal political system and a full-fledged democracy. It had also the wisdom to become a full-fledged European Union member while not embracing the Euro currency, thus it was saved from the current European financial meltdown that affected all euro-based economies, while obviously being affected as Europe remains the Czech Republic's main trading partner. It is also a country that remains free of public debt with a balanced budget, something that France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Ireland and Cyprus cannot say or claim. The Czech Republic is a success story in the making and a “brand” in transformation. Surely many lessons can be learned from that.
