Who Protects the Children?

Almost two months ago, I promised to write about my work in the UK. Instead, I was swept up by the long‑awaited political change that finally took place in Hungary. The journey leading up to the night of 12 April was rocky and deeply emotional. It began two years earlier, with a presidential pardon granted by the then head of state, Katalin Novák.

Read more

Young People Did Not Decide Yesterday: How a Generation Came of Age in Crisis

On April 12, Hungary voted, and since then young people, many of whom were voting for the first time, have been blamed. Based on earlier turnout rates, young people had not seemed interested in politics, yet this time a significant wave of mobilization took place. I found two possible reasons that may explain this shift, and in this article I examine the social, economic, and other conditions that produced this remarkable level of participation, as well as what shaped young people’s new political consciousness.

Read more

The Red Foundation of Hungarian Cuisine: Ground Paprika

If we want to understand the past of Hungarian cuisine and the present that follows from it, it is worth beginning with the ingredient that has perhaps left the deepest mark on it. Ground paprika is not merely a spice: it lives in our language, our moods, and our kitchen instincts as well. One need only think of expressions such as “don’t get all peppered up” or “the atmosphere is quite paprikás.” Few ingredients have become so naturally embedded in everyday Hungarian self-image.

Read more

“A Successful Opening to the East?”

The End of Hungary’s “Opening to the East”. For years, Viktor Orbán’s government sold the East as Hungary’s economic future and the West as a fading dependency. But the trade numbers never supported the fantasy and after Tisza’s landslide victory, the political system that sustained it may be starting to collapse as well.

Read more
Title
.