12/19/11 REMEMBERING Československo VACLAV HAVEL , JOURNALIST PAUL WILSON "...After the Prague Spring, he became increasingly active. In 1977, his involvement with the human rights manifesto Charter 77 brought him international fame as the leader of the opposition in Czechoslovakia; it also led to his imprisonment. The 1989 Velvet Revolution launched Havel into the presidency. In this role, he led Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic to multiparty democracy. His thirteen years in office saw radical change in his nation, including its split with Slovakia, which Havel opposed, its accession into NATO and start of the negotiations for..." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A1clav_Havel

[canadian journalist paul wilson talks to npr re Havel who died on 12/18/11 ] 12/19/11 REMEMBERING VACLAV HAVEL "...After the Prague Spring, he became increasingly active. In 1977, his involvement with the human rights manifesto Charter 77 brought him international fame as the leader of the opposition in Czechoslovakia; it also led to his imprisonment. The 1989 Velvet Revolution launched Havel into the presidency. In this role, he led Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic to multiparty democracy. His thirteen years in office saw radical change in his nation, including its split with Slovakia, which Havel opposed, its accession into NATO and start of the negotiations for..."
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A1clav_Havel