Dragon parade in China.

Two Suns in the Sky: Hungary’s Divergence with the West on China

‘In fairness, to say that Washington, Brussels, and Budapest have some pre-existing policy disagreements is a laughable understatement. Nonetheless, the question remains: Why is Hungary growing closer to China as the West grows further away? The short answer is: it’s complicated.’

Gyula Horn (L), Chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party, the sitting prime minister at the time, and Viktor Orbán during their 20 May, pre-election debate at the University of Economics (today Corvinus University) in 1998.

A Quarter-Century of a Civic Hungary

This new generation renewed Hungarian politics not only in the use of language but also in the nature of governance. It was open about its value choices and did not accept that politics was merely the dispassionate administration of affairs. After decades of humiliation, it wanted to once again raise the Hungarian nation to the heights that its thousand-year history destined it for.

Strengthening Families Empowers Nations

‘Supporting the institution of marriage and families promotes social stability. Families provide the foundation for the social fabric of a society; when families are healthy and well-functioning, they provide a sense of belonging, instil values of respect, responsibility, and empathy, as well as provide basic education for children.

Mihály Munkácsy: Karlsbadi fasor

It’s Still Better to Follow the Warpath than Hit the Road to Nowhere

Uncertainty about a ‘Huxit’ scenario is not fuelled by the Hungarian Prime Minister but rather by EU bureaucrats using a one-sided interpretation of the rule of law. The Hungarian government possesses a clear mandate for EU reform, distinct from the binary narratives of full Eurofederalism or immediate exit.

Freehug Bear at Tusványos 2023

Looking at the World from Tusványos

The nation celebrated at Tusványos, the Hungarian one, drapes over various states in the Carpathian Basin and consists of a plurality of ethnic and religious groups, fully including not just Christian Magyars but also Jews, Ungarndeutschen, and Roma with roots in the region. Foreign guests like me, who come from outside the Hungarian nation or family of nations, could also feel welcome, because, if devoid of chauvinism, nationhood offers fertile ground for inter-national solidarities and sympathies.

Giorgia Meloni Holds Migration Summit in Rome

The conservative Prime Minister of Italy is aiming to ease the migration pressure on Europe by having the migrants’ transit countries and countries of origin more involved in managing the migration flow. She has already made some headway on this front.

Viktor Orbán looks at Biden as the US President extends his hand to him before the group photo at the NATO Summit in Vilnius on 11 July 2023.

Choosing Between the US and China

‘Could Biden’s token [of shaking hands only with Orbán when arriving for the NATO group photo in Vilnius], as some experts suspect, have been an invitation to the Hungarian government to hop on board the US geopolitical bandwagon and forget the Chinese and Russian ones?’

How Can We Win the Next Decade?

After the victorious election, the prime minister made it clear that the Russian aggression against Ukraine was forcing us to partially revise our strategy in foreign affairs, adjusting it to the changed circumstances. It is hardly surprising, then, that proposals and ideas of a strategic nature have increasingly claimed centre stage at in-camera government sessions and in public forums alike.

Vienna Migration Summit: Hungary Will Not Execute the EU’s Decisions on Migration

Another summit of the intergovernmental cooperation between Austria, Hungary, and Serbia took place on 7 July in Vienna, Austria. Apart from the heads of state and government, the three nations’ ministers of foreign affairs, and domestic and law enforcement leaders also took part in the conference, held at the Austrian Chancellor’s residence. The Vienna Summit was organised in the wake of Hungary and Poland officially objecting to the migration package at the European Commission’s 30 June session.