Insightful post - thank you for writing this. The parallels between what is happening here in the U.S. and what is happening in the Czech Republic are very interesting. It seems you are saying that some people resent the countries of Western Europe and perceive them to have relegated them to inferiority ("second tier"). Is this what you are saying? It is striking because this is the same sentiment invoked by much of the rural population in the U.S. - that the urban and educated population looked down their nose at them. The response in both cases seems to be one of "we don't need you - we will do our own thing, even if that thing is authoritarian and harmful to our own self-interest."
RE: The Return of the Iron Curtain