Anglo-American University in Prague Celebrating the US’s Historical 250 Year Milestone
AAU celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, engaging in the past, present, and future of the United States and its transatlantic relationship with Europe with prominent guest speakers from the US Ambassador, deans, and university directors to economists and political scientists.
AAU’s President Jiří Schwarz opened with a quote from the Czech Republic’s first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, highlighting that the US was a model of democracy and freedom for the Czech Republic under communism. AAU itself was the first nonstate university in the Czech Republic, opening in 1990.
His Excellency US Ambassador Nicholas Merrick spoke about how the Declaration of Independence holds the core values of the US, quoting that our rights—human rights—are endowed by our creator. Whether you believe in god or not, our rights are not a gift from the government. It is the government’s job to protect them.
“Opportunity, hard work, and the freedom to chart your own course is the essence of the American story. 250 years ago, with a single sheet of parchment and 56 signatures America began the greatest political journey in human history. While our path hasn’t always been a straight line, each generation has sought to build a more perfect union” said Merrick.
History, Ideas, and Political Philosophy
The first panel discussed the intellectual and historical roots of the Declaration of Independence and its influence on Europe and the Czech lands. The panel consisted of Roman Joch, Political Scientist and Director of the Civic Institute; Milada Polišenská, Professor Emerita at AAU; Mats Braun, Director at the Institute of International Relations; and George Hays, Dean of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at AAU.
“Lord Acton claimed in the mid 19th century that American colonists had rebelled against the politically and economically freest society of those times—more free than the French kingdom, the Austrian Empire, the Russian Tsar, and so on. They rebelled against the freest society in order to found an even freer society, and they succeeded,” said Joch.
Case studies of US diplomats and figures of Czech history, presented by Polišenská, gave insight into the relationship between the US and Czech Republic, including Rowena Morse Mann and her connection to Charlotte and Alice Masarykova as well as the last diplomatic envoy before Nazi occupation, Wilburn John Carr.
“The world we have today and the Europe we have today is heavily influenced by the US,” said Braun, speaking about the importance of the US involvement in NATO.
The director of the Institute of International Relations summarized the importance of the US in the creation of the “Liberal World Order” after WWII which focused on liberal economics, commitment to multilateralism, and commitment to human rights. Hays brought a down-to-earth perspective of the signatories:
“There is a tendency to speak about the founders and the time of the signing in 1776 as almost god-like. They were far from it, and they knew that they were far from it. The opening sentence of the declaration is one of the most cited bits of American political writing, but when you read on, it turns into a laundry list of complaints,” said Hays.
“They weren’t just grand philosophers, they had everyday problems, concerns, and complaints. This document isn’t the result of 50+ geniuses being put in a room and collectively writing everything they know down. It was a room full of people in god-aweful heat, arguing about things they wanted to remove. The result was a compromise,” concluded Hays.
Moderator and President of Strategeo Institute, Jan Macháček, presented about the Czech tendency to romanticize the US, its culture, and its values. There are a lot of connections between the two countries—the First Lady of the first Czechoslovakia Republic was America after all. American music, particularly jazz and rock and roll, symbolized freedom and liberty during communist times.
Politics, Economy, Security
The final panel debated current developments in American politics, economic trends, and global security challenges. Key in the discussion was the US as a global power and how it has, and continues, to use that power economically, politically, and financially.
The panelists held a diversity of speakers including: Jan Švejnar, Economist, co-founder of CERGE-EI, and Director of CGEG at Columbia University; Kateřina Weissová, Director at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, CEVRO University; Ondřej Jonáš, Banker and Investor; Ondřej Hejma, Musician and Commentator.
Weissová discussed the gap between the US and European perception of reality in terms of security, energy, and economy. She views that Europe has lost the confidence to influence the global stage. Švejnar also highlighted a gap between the regions, but in education and innovation.
“Innovation, drive to do better is really what defines for me the essence of the US,” said Jonáš—who is an American citizen and moved to the US at age 12—in agreement with Švejnar.
“The romanization of the US is what happens when you are born into a communist jail in 1951 and you have to live here,” said Hejma about the influence of the US, “You hope for something nice, so you romanticize the world outside. This was the music, the soft power of the United States which permeated even through the iron curtain.”
Despite problems the world faces and disagreements some of the panelists even had, all can agree that this historic milestone has defined the past 250 years, and it continues to do so. The values it holds of freedom, liberty, and equality are foundational, solid, and something to inspire to.