Lecturer:

Mgr. Ing. Olga Švepešová Blaťáková

Schedule:

The course will take place twice a week starting April 9, 2024:

Tuesdays: 9:30 – 10:50 AM

Thursdays: 8:00 – 9:20 AM

Class Topics

1. What is Central Europe? (April 9)

· Introduction and presentation of the course objectives and assignments

· Understanding the term Central Europe, concepts & views

2. Central Europe and Foreign Policy I: Regional Integration and Security Policy (April 11)

· EU and NATO integration and partnerships

· The Visegrad Group, Bucharest Nine, Three Seas Initiative, Austerlitz/Slavkov Format

· Politics of neutrality (Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein)

3. Central Europe and Foreign Policy II: Bilateral and Global Relations (April 16)

· Relations with Great Powers

· Relations with European Powers

4. Poland (April 18)

· Modern Polish foreign policy

· Polish parliamentary elections 2023 and shift in internal political dynamics

5. Hungary (April 23)

· Foreign and European policies of Hungary

· Diaspora and irredentism

6. Czech Republic and Slovakia (April 25)

· Understanding historical ties and dissolution of Czechoslovakia

· Current relations and cooperation between the Czech Republic and Slovakia

7. Czech Foreign Policy (April 30)

· Priorities & concepts

8. Simulation (May 2)

· Students will test their knowledge and make leadership decisions in a real-world foreign policy scenario involving Central Europe

9. Visiting Lecturer: Czech Republic and Visegrad Group (May 7)

· (TBC) Guest speaker from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

10. Populism in Central Europe (May 9)

· Roots and causes for populism in Central European countries

11. Presentation of Case studies I (May 14)

12. Presentation of Case studies II (May 16)