Czech General Petr Pavel appropriately remarked this week that Czech President Milos Zeman’s conduct is shameful. Zeman recently made yet another allusion to liquidating journalists, in what has become a common theme for him since he first made a “joke” about it during a summit with Putin. Pavel is a highly decorated Czech military officer who recently completed his tenure as head of the influential NATO military committee. Zeman, by contrast, is a Russian puppet, Putin’s parrot perched inside “new NATO,” tiresomely screeching the Moscow Party line.
“I’m Ashamed of My President”
At a memorial ceremony for a murdered Slovak journalist, Pavel expressed general disapproval of Zeman’s Moscow ties, authoritarian impulse, and lack of decorum. He called Zeman’s attacks on journalists not only unfortunate but extremely inappropriate. “I’m ashamed of my president,” he said.
Zeman reacted with characteristic bombast, saying that General Pavel should stick to military affairs and stay out of politics.
Saving NATO
“Stick to military affairs,” indeed. General Pavel embodies a European leader that the American national security community respects. Entrusted with a top position in the Atlantic alliance, he exercised steady leadership to overcome the most significant challenges in a generation. The United States recognized his service by awarding him the U.S. Legion of Merit and all accompanying military respect.
As General Pavel began his tenure, Russia had just annexed Crimea and invaded Eastern Ukraine. Years of uncertain leadership from the Obama administration had left the alliance complacent, with few European allies meeting their self-defense commitments. Putin took advantage of the low state of readiness this created, and was clearly contemplating a move into the Baltic states in defiance of Article V.
General Pavel rallied his NATO colleagues to encourage the Obama administration and Congress to lead the alliance against Putin’s aggression. He emphasized the need for increasing defense spending and rotation of American forces in Eastern Europe.
Ukrainian military brass also praise his engagement with Ukraine and Georgia when they were ravaged by Kremlin warmongering. His deft maneuvering enabled these countries to build up their relations with the alliance without triggering an overreaction from Russia. He maintained the deterrence doctrine of NATO, without giving an inch to Russia.
Managing the American Presidential Transition
When the West was caught flat-footed and confused by Putin’s active measures and hybrid warfare, Pavel led the resistance to Russian information operations. This was no easy task. He set up countermeasures and empowered civil society to support NATO efforts in Eastern Europe.
Halfway through his term, mainstream media on both sides of the Atlantic published countless misleading stories about the policies of the incoming Trump administration. The General stood fast, and reassured European allies about American commitments. His confidence was vindicated when President Trump appointed some of the greatest military minds to positions of power in the White House and his Cabinet.
Pavel demonstrated world-class military, diplomatic, and political skills during his tenure at NATO. He supported the buildup of the eastern flank, helped reverse the decline in defense readiness, and emphasized interoperability. He steadied NATO during the most difficult American presidential transition in history. Peter Pavel has been managing political and diplomatic affairs on a scale the aging alcoholic Czech president cannot imagine.
Petr Pavel: Soldier, Diplomat, and Political Leader
Milos Zeman’s admonishment that General Pavel should stick to military affairs and stay out of politics is just an envious statement from a sickly old man who has spent years embarrassing his country in front of allies. His conduct was so shameful that team Trump shut the door of the White House right in his face, in spite of his hiring a lobbyist to get a meeting with his “good friend Donald.”
Americans and Europeans should hope that General Pavel will not only dismiss Zeman’s warning to stay out of politics, but will decide to run for the presidency himself. He would need no hirelings to open doors for him in Washington.
Analysts in Washington misunderstand the Czech Presidency. They underestimate the soft power that the office commands within Czech society, and its influence on foreign relations. It is time to return to the model set by Vaclav Havel, when the Czech President had international moral authority. Of course, the choice to run is Pavel’s to make, and the election will be decided by Czech voters. But president or not, Petr Pavel already outshines the shameful legacy of Milos Zeman.
