The United States, Canada, Central and South America are separated from the European continent by the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps that is the reason American media are often detached from what is occurring outside America.
In fact Americans tend to remain ignorant about the political, economic and social events shaping the European continent. This is an important because events occurring in Europe have potential to affect the entire world.
Foreigners must see these individual events as part of a larger picture. Andrej Babis, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic is currently at the centre of a corruption scandal (as reported by irozhlas.cz: Rychlokurz v kauze OKD).
Corruption is nothing new to the Czech population nor American audiences that watch from abroad. Politicians and businessmen are constantly in an exchange behind-the-scenes. This harsh reality is especially true for the countries in the Warsaw Pact. After decades of Soviet control, these countries are still trying to recover.
Babis is the one of the wealthiest citizens of the Czech Republic and has used his popularity and riches to assume the role of Prime Minister. However, he has been in trouble for not completely separating himself from the role he played in his companies. This is a concern shared by many in the United States with President Trump’s role in his businesses.
Babis owned and operated a conglomerated known as Agrofert. Within this company, Babis had influence over two national newspapers and the Czech Republic’s largest radio station. Once city has already declared Babis in violation of some ‘conflict of interest’ statutes. Babis was still the sole beneficiary of a trust that he put in charge of the company. The European Union is still conducting their own investigation into the matter.
While it would be nice to believe that this corruption is an isolated incident, the reality is quite different. Many countries in Eastern Europe are experiencing their own corruption scandals from politicians and other prominent figures. Transparency International has released a recent overview of corruption in five specific countries of Eastern Europe. Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Armenia are seeing some of the worst scandals in the area as all major parts of the government are wrought with corruption.
Even with a host of anti-corruption laws, these countries are still experiencing interference by wealthy elites and corrupt politicians. One of the main ways these antagonizers are navigating around laws is by taking over independent watchdog institutions. With these organizations unable to hold anyone accountable, the system of checks and balances becomes defunct.
Neighboring countries in the EU are nervous that money sent to these countries will simply go into the pockets of corrupt officials. This money is meant to be an investment into the betterment of each country for the citizens and the country overall. With corruption active at every level of the government, many countries are trying to find a way out of this cycle of scandal.
Public trust erodes overtime as public officials continue to be involved in sketchy ordeals. This directly reduces public trust in democracy and can ruin an entire government from the outside-in. Countries within the Warsaw Pact need to constantly work to ensure that their institutions remain democratic and free. The Czech Republic needs foreign investment and international trust. Public officials who violate these rules must be removed immediately.
The recent ruling against Babis is a large step forward towards justice. American people know first-hand the difficulty of taking on a wealthy, influential mogul. Other countries in Eastern Europe are hoping for swift justice in their own cases of corruption. All of these countries are suffering from the challenges of transition from a communist country to one centred around democratic ideals.
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