Czechs with few mates

THERE are two quick ways to become a misfit in a club you have just joined. The first is to flout its rules and values; the second is to take them too seriously. Take the European Union and its commitment to promoting democracy and human rights, values so central to Europe's identity that they appear in the opening paragraphs of the new EU “reform treaty”.

On the face of it, this should be good news for the Czech Republic. In the three years since it joined the union, it has earned a reputation for promoting human rights at every turn. Czech officials regard their newly minted EU membership as a chance to influence a club with global clout, and throw Europe's weight behind democrats everywhere from Myanmar to Belarus, Moldova and Cuba (a particular Czech obsession). Indeed, there is a whole unit inside the Czech foreign ministry devoted to helping dissidents in other countries.