In his texts, Igor Lukeš offers two poles of his perspective - history and politics. He studies the Czech history of the 20th century with its disasters and myths, and today's political problems in the Czech Republic, the United States, Russia and globally. He assumes that we can draw lessons from history. History may not repeat itself, but with a sufficiently critical and value-based perspective, we can uncover our own mistakes and stereotypes, and find parallels between the present and the past that are not obvious at first glance. Lukeš makes no secret of the fact that he is an active defender and supporter of Western liberal values such as freethinking, tolerance, respect for truth, respect for others, decency and humanity, and he does not hesitate to clearly name the actions of those politicians and public officials who openly and brazenly lie, deny the facts and thus create a "post-factual age".
The book is a selection of the author's historical essays, political commentaries and reflections on the contemporary world from 2004-2021. The texts are divided thematically into several areas, in which the author maps the Obama and Trump presidencies, Putin's Russia, Czech statehood, the Cold War, the secret services and political ideas. In addition to insights and critical observations, the author's style and commitment make for a substantial reading and emotional experience.
Czech edition