Prezidentská diplomacie Václava Havla

The diploma thesis deals with the presidential diplomacy of Václav Havel. The analysis is based on a theoretical basis for defining the president's powers, his foreign policy instruments, and summit diplomacy. The empirical part examines the specific acts of presidential diplomacy in the transition to democracy, within a democratic Czechoslovakia, and after the establishment of the Czech Republic. The aim of the thesis was to find out whether Havel's method was a conventional presidential diplomacy or whether there was something specific in the period after the Velvet Revolution. It was found that Václav Havel's presidential diplomacy was highly unconventional due to the time he took office. It was characterized by post-velvet euphoria, but also lower professionalism of statesmen - they had no experience with administrative methods of working in political circles. Under the previous regime, they often worked in working-class positions. After the establishment of the independent Czech Republic, the gradual professionalization of top officials began. In conclusion, Václav Havel, as president-diplomat, played an important role in foreign policy-making. Havel raised foreign policy issues that he himself considered important and contributed to the positive perception of the country in international relations.