‘Is Pope Francis correct to suggest that this is a war Ukraine cannot win, and so, it should start seeking a truce with Russia? Ending the war, even a ceasefire, is not an act of cowardice, especially when there is no end in sight.’

French President Emmanuel Macron has captured the attention of the international community with his increasingly bold pro-war statements recently. What could be the intentions driving Macron’s rhetoric?

‘There is an evident deficit in competence between the right-wing and left-wing organizations in this country. Part of it has to do with competent, otherwise not ideological people gravitating toward the side more likely to win. In cases like the so-called “alternative referendum” initiative that deficit is put on glaring display.’

‘On the evening of 4 March, the two houses of the French Parliament voted 780 to 72 in favour of a constitutional amendment of the Fifth Republic to protect women’s freedom to have deliberate abortions…All it indicates is that the French people no longer regard foeticide, this infernal evil, as merely necessary but also as valuable.’

‘With Donald Trump in the White House, the abusive relationship between Washington and Budapest will end. U.S. Ambassador David Pressman will be replaced by someone who actually understands the need for an ambassador to be diplomatic. And with the European Union having reduced itself to being a vassal of the Greater American Empire, Hungary will likely be able to count on support from Washington in its everlasting disputes with Brussels.’

‘Communist-inspired wokeness, under the pretension to promote ‘anti-racism’, has not only captivated university campuses and social media, but it has also infiltrated the mindset in the workplace, in both the public and private sectors. This has given birth to cancel culture, which, like the National Socialists, both censors or restricts free speech and erases or reconstructs history to befit whims.’

According to the report published by Amnesty International, the pro-family policy introduced by the Prime Minister is contrary to human rights, as it discriminates against individuals from the LGBT community and fosters a climate of fear in society.

‘For conservatives of both nations, a Trump victory in November would be highly significant. For Hungary, strengthening political and business relations with a key ally gives the country even greater leverage with its European counterparts and cements the Orbán government as the cornerstone for European relations with the United States for at least the next four years. For the United States, having not just an ally, but a friendly government in Europe with similar geopolitical aims that can act as a conduit to Russia and China will be exceedingly important for geopolitical and economic objectives.’

‘While Budapesters aren’t wealthy, their lives are safe, purposeful, and filled with objective beauty. They perceive that they are temporary stewards of a valuable human condition and assume their descendants ought to inherit it; society is to be preserved, rather than consumed. Mothers with infants and other young children are an unmistakable element of the Hungarian capital. I always felt comfortable when my wife walked alone at night. Violent crime and discarded needles are nonexistent. This is life in the former Eastern Bloc.’

Whatever the original plan or idea behind promoting, supporting, and organizing uncontrolled migration to Europe (and to the United States) was, social engineering has miserably failed again just as in the case of communism. For once again it failed to take into account nothing less than human nature.

‘It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the capitulation of the West to political Islam is no one’s fault but the West itself. The person in the twenty-first century has to realize that the socio-political construct of Islam is structured on its religious tenets that define and stipulate a Muslim’s redemptive relationship with Allah and with his fellow Muslim.’

Following Emmanuel Macron’s statement on sending Western troops to Ukraine, NATO allies are distancing themselves from the French President. In the run-up to the European elections, radical pro-war rhetoric may have serious consequences—the case of the Hungarian opposition in the 2022 parliamentary elections is a cautionary tale.

Viktor Orbán and the governing parties refrained from paying tribute to Alexei Navalny in the Hungarian parliament earlier this week. Considering the less-known views of the recently deceased Russian opposition leader, the Hungarian prime minister’s decision is likely to resonate with the majority of Ukrainians.

‘2023 in fact demonstrated, if demonstration were needed, that a deep social, political, and ideological cleavage now divides electorates across Europe, separating progressive, educated, urban, middle class and younger voters from the alienated rural, working class and older conservative voters living outside the fashionable urban centres. This cleavage was dramatically evident in election results in Spain, Slovakia, Poland, and Holland in the course of 2023.’

‘The US Constitution must be first and foremost interpreted via the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the ‘Creator’, as well as the ‘Laws of Nature and Nature’s God’—an archaic term developed by the Anglican clergyman in his Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie (1594), which equate to the natural law and God’s divine precepts.[1] John Locke, perhaps the philosopher who influenced the Founding Fathers, in his Two Treatises on Government, likewise identified the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God as God’s moral legislation inscribed in the heart of man. This is because man himself is by nature unable to know the divine moral directives such as doing good unto others.’

Ursula von der Leyen has announced her intention to be the candidate of the European People’s Party for a new term leading the European Commission. However, the EPP leadership intends to change the policy Von der Leyen has pursued for the past five years.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—that is the name of the illness Dániel Karsai, a renowned Hungarian constitutional lawyer was diagnosed with in August 2022. Armed with comprehensive knowledge of the relevant domestic and international legal frameworks, he has embarked on a mission. His goal is to submit a legal brief to the European Court of Human Rights, intending to shape a more liberal approach by the Strasbourg jurisprudence concerning assisted suicide. Through this, he aims to trigger a transformative shift in Hungary’s relevant regulations, as a quasi-capstone to his professional career.

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the prospect of peace remains as distant as it did 24 months ago. However, with the upcoming political events in Europe and the United States, 2024 holds the potential for significant changes. With these crucial events ahead, there is hope that 2025 could finally become the year of peace in Ukraine.

‘Europe’s most powerful nation is now led, without exaggeration, by political extremists. The heads of the other large nations, France and Britain, are all cynical, complacent, and indifferent to the problems of their citizens to a degree not seen here since the French Revolution.

It is an interesting situation for us. So far, we have been the ones always divided up: by the Ottomans, Habsburgs, Germans, and French. Now they are the ones being sliced up and bid on by the hungry peoples of the Third World and the coldly calculating networks of people smugglers.’

‘The values forged in Europe have deep Christian roots. And yet, how many cases could we enumerate where crucifixes have been removed to ‘avoid offending’ others? How many campaigns have we seen against Christmas? How many instances of public ridiculing of the images of Christ or the Virgin Mary? Complicit in this surrender of faith is the silent and anaesthetized majority that does not react, that does not defend its own. It seems as if they are ashamed to be Christians.’

At the 16 February demonstration organized by influencers and other celebrities, which rallied tens of thousands of people, the speakers essentially echoed the expectation of the majority of Hungarians that the government come up with adequate responses to the clemency scandal.

‘Fiducia Supplicans, which calls for the blessing of homosexual couples—keeping in mind that nowhere in this document does it call for conversion—the door has been opened to LGTBQ+ protagonists to promote their agenda. This has divided the Church into two Churches, as many, such as the Hungarian and African bishops, have rejected the directive.’

‘The notion of ‘Judeo-Christian’, putting aside its religious connotation, as the foundation of Western civility is rather arbitrary, if not ambiguous. Various Christian fundamentalists and self-proclaimed traditional Catholics have employed the ‘Judeo-Christian’ discourse to justify their backing of Israel, despite the term being neither eschatological nor doctrinal. ’

‘This scandal is a self-inflicted catastrophe for Fidesz. The prime minister plainly understands this, and is taking concrete steps to reform. Yet the idea that the political and cultural Left in Hungary is trying to capitalize on this crisis to sell itself to the Hungarian people as the real protectors of children is a farce—and a dangerous one.’

How should we Hungarians relate to our heroic dead who perished in the two world wars? Some thoughts and proposals by our Sopron-based contributor Botond Szabó.

‘While Hungary and Poland ensure their reactionary abilities remain strong through their respective memberships in NATO, the rapidly developing world of cyber affairs and the dangers they come with require a proactive approach to avoid potential vulnerabilities in national infrastructure. Budapest has already begun to implement such an approach.’

‘Only the West killed God, and they did it twice for good measure: once on the cross, and more recently via the Enlightenment project to transform the world through progress, secularism, and science, rendering religion either rational or irrelevant.’

‘Allowing a diversity of opinion to inform one’s judgment really can be a source of strength. And, to paraphrase Cicero, taking history seriously is necessary if you wish to be a grown-up on the world stage, not a child, stomping around looking for somewhere to bomb, and somewhere else to bully.’

Our editor-in-chief’s take on the resignations of Katalin Novák and Judit Varga, and what they entail for Hungarian conservatives.

US foreign policy is set ‘to remain volatile and subject to disruption with changes of government and the whims of the political class. For a country like Hungary—arguably lacking the same geopolitical leverage vis-à-vis Washington—the Salvadoran reality might not offer a blueprint, but it does present a lesson’, our contributor Michael O’Shea argues.