Donald Trump Picks JD Vance as Vice Presidential Nominee

Vance is serving his first term in Congress as a Senator from Ohio, winning his seat in the 2022 midterm elections. The former marine and venture capitalist, whose 2016 autobiography Hillbilly Elegy became a bestseller and was even made into a film, is quite knowledgeable about and apparently appreciative of several policies of the Hungarian government.

Great Hungarians in Europe: István Báthory

István Báthory (1533–1586) played a pivotal role in the history of Lithuania. His legacy is marked by his efforts to strengthen the Lithuanian state, promote education, and foster religious tolerance, making him a significant figure in the history of Eastern Europe.

Hungarian Defence Forces Celebrate New Graduates in Budapest Ceremony

The Hungarian Defence Forces’ Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course (AAT), a one-year programme, has equipped the newly graduating non-commissioned officers with various skills. With these capabilities, they will not only be able to fulfill their leadership duties but also serve the nation in a manner befitting and worthy of an NCO, Command Sergeant Major of the Hungarian Defence Forces Zoltán Kaszab stated during an internal inauguration ceremony held at the barracks’ assembly ground. This year’s NCO inauguration will be held on Saturday, 13 July, at Heroes’ Square in Budapest.

Saint Ladislaus, the Crusade Leader

‘The first units of the First Crusade, and then the main army led by Godfrey of Bouillon, did cross the Hungarian Kingdom, but by then King Coloman was on the throne, the successor of Ladislaus. It was also well known that the only Hungarian-led crusade to the Holy Land was launched in 1217 under King Andrew II. Yet Hungarian medieval narrative sources record one more. They tell an interesting and controversial story about King Saint Ladislaus…Given the fact that the Hungarian king died on 29 July 1095, almost half a year before the first Crusade was announced at the Council of Clermont in November 1095, modern scholarship quickly lost confidence in the historicity of the account.’

President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline with Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie Connally in the presidential limousine just before the assassination on 22 November 1963

A Deep Look into the Deep State

‘The deep state is nothing new, for it has existed throughout history and in different forms. What is new is the paranoia and the theories that are swarming around in the U.S., when in fact the deep state, if that is what some wish to call it, does not really care who holds onto power…The irony of Trump’s crusade against the deep state is that he will need to create a deep state to accomplish this, i.e., a powerful bureaucracy loyal to him over the country’s federal agencies.’

Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomes Viktor Orbán in Kyiv on 2 July 2024.

Hungarian Aspirations to Mediate in the War and the Changing Relationship between Hungary and Ukraine

In December last year a new law created a distinct category for ‘EU minorities’ in Ukraine (such as the Hungarian and Romanian ethnic minorities) that now have access to more privileges than for instance the Russian minority. Later, as a sign of goodwill to better relations, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó visited Ukraine. Now, with the meeting between Orbán and Zelenskyy the two country’s relationship is officially warming up. If in the long-term Budapest does manage to considerably contribute to peace between Russia and Ukraine, as it clearly intends to, it might have a long-lasting positive impact on bilateral relations.

The Secession of the People to the Mons Sacer by B. Barloccini (1849)

American Democracy, Like All Regimes, Dies Slowly

‘The fate of American democracy—and democracy more broadly throughout the West—depends on social, cultural, demographic, and technological trends and changes that have been ongoing for quite some time now. It may perhaps be too late to reverse these trends, and the fixation on individual figures fails to address the real issues at hand. As history has shown, the unraveling of social cohesion, coupled with technological disruptions, erodes the very foundations of democratic systems.’

Passengers arrive at security gates of La Guardia airport during Memorial weekend in New York city on 24 May 2024.

How America’s Airports Underscore Its Decline

‘In 2014, then-Vice President Joe Biden opined that New York’s LaGuardia Airport ‘feels like it’s in some third-world country.’ Little has changed in the ensuing decade. If anything, the contrast between Europe and Asia’s airports and America’s has become starker. British airport consultancy Skytrax releases an annual ranking of global airports; in the 2024 edition, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (#24) is the only American representative in the top-25.’