Czech-Austrian Relations

http://www.czech.cz/en/Noticias/Czech-Republic-seeks-to-reset-relations-with-Austr

Relations between Austria and the Czech Republic have been strained in the past century, as the latter used to be a part of the Austrian-led Habsburg Dynasty. Some factions even in more recent decades think that this linkage should still exist, and attempts to grab power once more were a concert for a newly independent Czechoslovakia (before the Czech Republic and Slovakia became separate countries in the so-called “Velvet Revolution” in 1989. Having grown up in the United States, where there are multiple entities that are all joined under a federal government, I do not have a huge frame of reference for the complications of diplomacy with immediate neighbors with whom your relationship has shifted drastically in the past century. We border Canada and Mexico, but countries in Europe are surrounded by others whose language and custom vary.

The article discusses elements that have kept a distance between the two countries. For example, Austria is a neutral country whereas the Czech Republic is a member of NATO. Additionally, the former eschewed the use of nuclear power whereas the latter embraced it. In recent years, however, relations have been getting closer. There are more meetings scheduled between high-up officials, and a priority has been placed on bettering the transportation systems between the two lands. Furthermore, there are regular meetings in the works between the two countries and Slovakia, so the three neighbors can communicate more effectively with one another. This is an interesting development, as countries in and near the Balkan area have been largely volatile over the past century, as border disputes and changing regimes and power structures have taken their turn creating chaos in the region.