‘We were the ones who opened the door’: redefining the political asymmetry of Czech-German relations in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Abstract This study responds to the need to better understand the processes that shape perceptions and positioning among states in asymmetric relations. It advances a novel theoretical perspective on the social construction of political asymmetry in bilateral relations by highlighting its contingency with regard to the meaning making of social actors and discursively produced symbolic boundaries. Taking the political asymmetry of Czech-German relations as a case study, we explore how Czech political representatives and analysts work to redefine political asymmetry in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our analysis builds on the public statements of Czech political representatives and analysts concerning Czech and German responses to the invasion between February 2022 and March 2023. We uncover three symbolic boundaries based on the following dichotomies: culprit versus sufferer of consequences, reserve versus engagement, and self-interest versus solidarity. We argue that the patterns of boundary work speak to the efforts by Czech political representatives and analysts to redefine political asymmetry of Czech-German relations by portraying Czechia as morally superior vis-à-vis Germany and as part of the vanguard in European politics. We further argue that the boundary work also reflects the broader renegotiation of Czechia’s position within the East-West divide.