PILSEN, Czech Republic (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is warning of a rise in authoritarianism led by Russia, China and Iran that threatens freedoms worldwide. Opening a four-nation tour of eastern and central Europe in the Czech Republic, Pompeo paid tribute Tuesday to American forces that liberated western Czechoslovakia in 1945 and lauded values shared by Americans and Czechs. Visiting the “Thank You, America” monument in the city of Pilsen, Pompeo urged vigilance, saying “authoritarianism is live in Beijing, in Moscow and in Tehran.” Pompeo didn’t mention unrest and concerns about democratic backsliding in nearby Belarus after recent elections there. Nor did he mention the Trump administration’s decision to reduce the U.S. military presence in Germany.
