From Budapest to Beirut to Tehran
Perspectives from Across the Pond
Viktor Orbán
Orban’s ouster was a win. But don’t let Hungary distract from Russia’s next target
Post-election celebrations erupted in the streets of Budapest over the weekend after Hungarian voters ousted Prime Minister Viktor Orban after 16 years, handing pro-EU opposition leader Peter...
Op-eds
Americans shouldn’t cry for Orban
Never ignore the voters. After 16 years in power, Hungary’s corpulent Prime Minister Viktor Orban lost touch with the conservative base that supported him from the start, believing...
Op-eds
Center-Right Party’s Overwhelming Victory in Hungarian Election Could Boost EU Support for Ukraine
After 16 years in power, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was resoundingly defeated in the country’s general election on April 12. The victory of the center-right Tisza Party led by Peter Magyar...
Policy Briefs
If Orban wins, Putin will be delighted
In June 1989, a 26-year-old Viktor Orban demanded free elections and the withdrawal of Soviet troops in what was a defining moment in Hungary’s democratic awakening. He was a young...
Op-eds
Why Hungary’s two-faced Orbán deserves to lose his re-election bid
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary is on the ropes in his latest bid for reelection, down by double-digit margins in the latest polls. So he brought in a ringer. Vice President JD Vance, a star...
Op-eds
Russia Allegedly Meddles in Hungary’s Upcoming Elections
As Hungarian voters prepare for parliamentary elections in April, the contest is shaping up to be one of the toughest political challenges yet for Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whom President Donald Trump...
Policy Briefs
Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia chose Tehran over Trump
The leaders of Slovakia, Hungary, and Serbia have long touted their loyalty to President Donald Trump, courting Washington’s conservative wing. But when Trump launched his war...
Op-eds
The US should stop indulging Hungary and Slovakia
In 2019, the then-Sen. Marco Rubio co-wrote an open letter to President Donald Trump, warning him about “the steady erosion of freedom, the rule of law and quality of governance”...
Op-eds
Marking Four Years of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Media Calls
Meeting Zelenskyy, Trump Signals Reluctance on Sending Cruise Missiles to Ukraine
Trump Cautious on Tomahawks: U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on October 17, where the leaders discussed the possibility...
Flash Briefs
‘Borders Must Not Be Changed by Force’: European Leaders Issue Ukraine Warning Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit
EU Underlines Ukrainian Sovereignty: European Union leaders have warned that Russia must not be allowed to change Ukrainian borders by force. In a statement issued ahead of the...
Flash Briefs
What to Do About Fico and Vučić in Moscow
The leaders of Slovakia and Serbia both went to Moscow to celebrate Victory Day with Putin – despite EU warnings not to. How can Brussels discourage further collaboration?
Op-eds
‘No Longer an Impartial Court’: Hungary Announced Withdrawal From ICC
Announced During Netanyahu Visit: Hungary announced on April 3 that it would withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which issued arrest warrants for...
Flash Briefs
The Russian Art of Mudslinging and Conspiracy-mongering
Whenever a world leader dies, either by sinister or natural causes, you can be sure Moscow will warp the narrative to sow, if not panic, then at least cynicism and doubt.
Op-eds
American conservatives love Hungary’s Orbán — but ignore his wooing of China
Excerpt Hungary’s flowering relationship with China, on full display during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s triumphant two-day visit to Budapest, is a blazing three-alarm fire. Will America...
Op-eds
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is bringing new risks to Europe
China’s grand vision of the world-changing BRI may have not been realised, but something else is emerging in its wake — a powerful lever to bend authoritarian-leaning countries toward Chinese interests
Op-eds
Why the EU Could Sanction Tucker Carlson
He won’t be banned from Europe, but Europe might be better off if he were.
Op-eds
Viktor Orbán Is No Friend of America
Since his arrival in power in 2010, he has been openly laying the groundwork for the end of the American-led unipolar world.
Op-eds
Chasing The Mirage of Turkey’s Western Orientation
Turkey’s president might seem like he is shifting the country’s foreign policy back to the West. But Erdogan is simply an opportunist.