Videos from the 2011 PIDEC conference now available online!
Events
- Conflicting Interests: Russia, the United States, and the Future of Georgia
Is Russia justified in its efforts to prevent Georgia from joining NATO? Should the U.S. be showing such clear support for Georgia in the conflict over South Ossetia? Is Europe doing enough to prevent the conflict from spreading? What does the future hold for the breakaway regions of Georgia? Our experienced diplomats squared off on these issues and more.
with
Denis Grishenko, political counsellor, Russian Embassy in Prague
Petr Chalupecky, deputy director, security policy department, Czech Foreign Ministry
Giorgi Archemashvilli, political counsellor, Georgian Embassy in Prague
John Law, public affairs officer, U.S. Embassy in Prague
Jan Prokes, advisor to Lubomir Zaoralek, vice chairman of the Chamber of Deputies
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Russia Rising: Is Today's Kremlin a Threat or Boon to International Security?
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2008
A distinguished group of Russian experts debated a
confident Kremlin's geopolitical policies. Panelists discussed pressing
security questions such as: Is Russia too soft on Iran's nuclear ambitions? How
does the Kremlin's attitude towards democracy, freedom of speech and human
rights affect its role on the world stage? Has Europe become too dependent on
Russian gas? Will the Kremlin punish the West for backing Kosovo's
independence from Russian ally Serbia? Just how much colder will the recent
frosty war of words get between Russia and the U.S.?
Speakers:
Victor J. Yasmann, a senior regional analyst with Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty's research and analysis department, office of the
president. A former senior associate for the the Washington, D.C.-based American
Foreign Council, Yasman is editor of "Russian Foreign Policy and Security
Watch."
Jan Hamáček, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Czech Chamber of Deputies and Social Democratic member of Parliament
Daniel Koštoval, director, north and east European
department, Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former deputy secretary of the Embassy of the
Czech Republic in Moscow
Denis Grishchenko, Counsellor, foreign policy, Russian Embassy in Prague
The discussion moderated by: Dinah A. Spritzer, international reporting professor at NYU in Prague and senior Europe correspondent for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a New York-based newswire.
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Ready for Radar?
Is the U.S. effort to put a radar base in the Czech Republic good for Czech security? Good for Europe? Good for the U.S.? Is the radar an effective tool against possible Iranian and North Korean strikes or a shoddy and ineffective attempt at missile defense? Are the Russians right to be suspicious of U.S. efforts to place part of its missile defense system in Central Europe?
Speakers:
Mary
Thompson-Jones, deputy chief of mission for the U.S. embassy in the
Czech Republic
Veronika Kuchyňová
Šmigolová, head of the Czech Foreign Ministry's Security Policy
Department
Jan Tamáš,
spokesman for the No to Bases Initiative
Ondrej Liska, Czech MP, Green Party
The discussion moderated by:
Dinah Spritzer, coordinator of the journalism program at New York University in
Prague and European correspondent for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Held October 3, 2007, NYU in Prague
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SCANDAL! Does the Czech Media make up the news or break the news?
The evening ended a series of 4 panel discussions organized as part of NYU in Prague's recently-launched journalism program.
Provactive discussion by leading Prague-based journalists:
Veselin Vachov, editor in chief, Lidove noviny, leading Czech daily newspaper
Tomas Nemecek, editorial page editor, Hospodarske noviny and journalism instructor, NYU in Prague, formerly editor of Respekt
Jindrich Sidlo,head of national news, Hospodarske noviny, leading Czech business newspaper
Miloš Čermák, media analyst and journalism instructor, Charles University
Like a free press anywhere, the Czech media has a penchant for scandals. They love them. Thanks to the efforts of Czech journalists to uncover corruption, former Prime Minister Stanislav Gross resigned, and current Vice Prime Minister Jiri Cunek is under pressure to resign. But are Czech media scandals always backed up by facts? Do Czech journalists rush to conclusions to grab headlines with anonymous sources?
Or do sources exploit journalist for their own political aims?
The discussion moderated by:
Dinah Spritzer, Central and Eastern European correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, journalism instructor at New York University in Prague. Held April 11, 2007, NYU in Prague.
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Culture Shock: Czechs tell all about their best and worst times living in the United States
Often when Americans come to Prague, they can be quick to give their opinions on Czech culture, people, food and of course, customer service. But they don"t often get the chance to hear what Czech who have spent time in U.S. think about America. Well now that chance has arrived! Come listen and learn about what it"s like to be a Czech living in the United States. Stories packed with gun detectors in the school lobby, American students who don"t know where Europe is and host families with children in jail will make for an evening of entertainment and enlightenment.
Speakers:
Veronika Bednarova Pemier, journalist for Reflex, author of "My American Beauty," a book of travel stories reflecting on her time in the USA as a Fulbright student at New York University, and current instructor at NYU in Prague
Dan Macek, is a political advisor at the Thai Embassy. Thanks to an American mother and a Czech father, Dan, who grew up in Prague, is more than bilingual, he is bi-cultural
Frantisek Sistek a cultural anthropologist the Historical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences specializing in the study of stereotypes, spent his junior year of high school in Southern California where he had so many culture shocks he was nearly electrocuted
Jan Hovorka is a resident student advisor at New York University, an American Studies major at Charles University and a survivor of a U.S. high school health class during which he was forced to "marry" another student for educational purposes.
The discussion moderated by:
Dinah Spritzer, Central and Eastern European correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, journalism instructor at New York University in Prague. Held March 7, 2007, NYU in Prague.
- Fast and Furious: The Influence of Media Wire Services on Global Opinion in the Internet Age
Ondřej Hejma, veteran correspondent for Associated Press and host of the first Czech Superstar competition
The panel moderated by:
Dinah Spritzer, Central and Eastern European correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, journalism instructor at New York University in Prague. Held February 13, 2007, NYU in Prague.
- U. S. Media vs. Czech Media: Are they really so different?
Jaroslav Plesl, deputy editor, Lidové noviny
Jan Rybář, international reporter, Mlada Fronta Dnes
Erik Best, founder and publisher, The Fleet Sheet
Miloš Čermák, media analyst and journalism instructor, Charles University
The panel moderated by:
