‘The honest takeaway from the year’s first two to three weeks is this: to the American Empire, everything remains on the table. Yet its interest in the world has never been narrower. The United States is not retreating from the globe, but from those regions that no longer yield dividends. For the same reasons, China and Russia will likely follow suit.’
‘In the case of Ukraine and Spain, it also produces circumstantial parallels that obscure the unbridgeable gap between the very natures of the two conflicts, conflating the ideological antagonisms of the 1930s at their most nationally internecine with a globalized, technological war for territory. Far from far-sighted, the mantra that Europe should re-learn forgotten lessons or resign itself to perish here becomes dangerously myopic.’
‘Trump…does not need to “take over” Greenland by force or by acquisition. Instead, he should rely on his artful strategy that has thus far been marked by business pragmatism and a preference for power politics—peace through transaction, that is, cutting a deal.’
What is the significance of the American military intervention aiming to capture President Maduro? What went wrong during the Chávez era? What will be the fate of the Maduro—and the Cuban—regime? The Hungarian Conservative asked the prominent Venezuelan opposition figure in Budapest about America’s capture of President Maduro and its political consequences for Venezuela.
‘Venezuela has become a stress test. And Europe’s response has exposed both its instincts and its inhibitions.’
In his first interview of the year, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary must decide whether to support large-scale EU funding for Ukraine or protect national interests, warning that unconditional aid risks dragging Europe deeper into war.
According to a new poll released by The Economist, over 70 per cent of Venezuelans think that the political situation will be either a little or much better in their country within 12 months of President Maduro’s capture, while over 50 per cent outright approve of the US military’s operation.
Hungary’s Ministry for European Union Affairs has warned that Brussels’s expanding financing plans for Ukraine could translate into major budgetary pressure, reduced EU funding, and new policy demands hitting Hungarian households. European Affairs Minister János Bóka said the Commission’s approach points to ‘tax increases and cutbacks’ at home.
‘Commissioner Kubilius’ proposal for “rotating” membership in the envisaged Council amounts to an outright disregard for the Treaties—under such a plan, some countries would commit their armed forces to a “United Army of Europe” while having no say in its command. This idea violates not only the spirit of the EU Treaties but also fundamental democratic principles…’
‘It was not just another gesture to the Americans; it was a landmark event in getting back to the Western fold. It was about the Gulf War.’