Yearbook of Slovakia’s Foreign Policy 2021

The Yearbook of Slovakia’s Foreign Policy provides a good opportunity to look back and evaluate what was done in the previous year, where we succeeded and where we failed. However, in early 2022, the world has been caught up in a spiral of orchestrated escalation that ended in unprovoked and unjustified Russian aggression against Ukraine. It is therefore impossible to look back at 2021 without reflecting on the momentous events that, at the turn of the year, put into question the future of the global security architecture and the rules based international order as we know it.

The year 2021 was meant to be the post-pandemic year. That expectation was not fulfilled. Instead of recovery, the defining features of the last year were the ongoing pandemic, instability and unpredictability. They affected not just public health, but also economic, social and political life, including foreign policy. On the positive side, we learned to live with the pandemic to some extent. International cooperation improved and solidarity expanded. I am proud that Slovakia alone managed to share over a million vaccines both bilaterally and through COVAX. But instead of the much expected post-pandemic economic recovery and social consolidation, we witnessed lower than expected economic growth, high inflation, accelerating energy prices, growing anxiety and discontent within societies and an increasing power contest… (I. Korčok)

(9.12.2022 – correction in the text of the publication on the page 18 and 181 – author D. Kaba)