Martin Palouš was appointed Ambassador
of the Czech Republic to the United States by Czech
President Vaclav Havel in the summer of 2001.
Born in Prague on October 14, 1950, Mr.
Palouš received a RNDr. degree (Doctor of Natural Sciences)
in chemistry from Charles University, Prague in 1973 and
went on to study philosophy and social sciences (graduating
in 1977). He has also studied law (1996-1999).
Mr. Palouš was one of the first
signatories of Charter 77 and served as spokesman for this
dissident human rights group in 1986. A founding member of
the Civic Forum (November 1989), he was elected to the
Federal Assembly in 1990 and became a member of its Foreign
Affairs Committee. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Czechoslovakia as adviser to Minister Dienstbier and was
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from October 1990 to
October 1992.
Dr. Palouš has held a number of teaching
positions at Charles University since 1990. He became a
member of the Faculty of Social Sciences (Foreign Relations
Division) in 1994 and served for some time as the Faculty's
Vice-Dean. In 1993, he joined the Centre for Theoretical
Studies (a research center run jointly by Charles University
and the Czech Academy of Sciences, headed by Ivan M. Havel).
He has lectured extensively in the United States. Until
1998, Mr. Palouš was also active in various
non-governmental organizations (including serving as
Chairman of the Czech Helsinki Committee and Co-Chairman of
the Helsinki Citizens Assembly). In October 1998, he became
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
Dr. Palouš is the
author of numerous publications, including the chapter on
the Czech Republic in the European Commission publication Democratization
in Central and Eastern Europe, "Totalitarianism
and Authoritarianism,"
in the Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict
(1999), and "Between
Idealism and Realism: Reflections on the Political Landscape
of Postcommunism,"
in Between Past and Future: "The
Revolutions of 1989 and their Aftermath";
(2000). He translates the works of Hannah Arendt.
Dr. Palouš is married
to Pavla Paloušová, nee NŤmcová.
They have two children: Michal (born 1986) and Johana (born
1989).
