Slovakia on the Road to Independence

“One crucial period of Slovak history, 1990–1993, is often neglected when Western commentators analyze all that came after. The reason for the omission is very simple: there were almost no foreigners in Slovakia to observe it. Paul Hacker was there. This book is living history, with reminiscences ranging from insights into the background of politically crucial events to accounts of the travails of a diplomat’s everyday life in a state newly emerged from communist rule. All are fascinating.

“The history of the breakup of Czechoslovakia has largely been written from the perspective of actors based in Prague. Hacker’s account not only balances this bias but also tells the story from the place where it really happened.” —Karen Henderson, University of Leicester

“Drawing on his experiences as the senior U.S. diplomat stationed in Bratislava before and immediately after Slovak independence, Paul Hacker provides a fascinating account of Slovakia’s ‘velvet divorce’ from its Czech partner and its challenging early development as a newly independent democracy seeking to integrate into the trans-Atlantic community.” —Theodore E. Russell, U.S. ambassador (ret.); founding chairman, Friends of Slovakia; first U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, 1993–96

“Paul Hacker arrived in Slovakia at a critical time, when we were just starting to overcome the legacy of totalitarianism. He was also in a unique position as the first American representative on the scene in Slovakia in over forty years. He is a sympathetic but objective observer of our developments, and when he sent his first cable welcoming Slovakia into the family of nations, he did so with the wish that our people would enjoy the blessings of peace, freedom, and prosperity.” —Pavol Demeš, former minister of international relations of Slovakia