Donate us

Tags

“We Were Trump Before Trump”: What the Democratic Party Must Learn from Hungary

“In international politics, we Hungarians are the only ones who have consistently said the same things as Trump since 2010. That’s why, in America, they see us as having been ‘Trump before Trump,’” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a December 2024 interview. There are many reasons to criticize Orbán, but he was not wrong in this statement. While Hungarian and American politics are not identical – given their vastly different historical, cultural, religious, and economic contexts – the form of global populism that Orbán himself calls “illiberalism” was pioneered by him in the Western world. And it began in 2010.

Read more

FC Taxpayer: How Orbán Is Buying Influence through Football in the Region

In the first part of the series, I outlined how the Hungarian Prime Minister has used public money to influence football teams and use football for his political advantage. But his playground is not only Hungary. Over the last decade, Viktor Orbán has turned football into a powerful international political tool, funneling millions of euros into foreign clubs, particularly in countries with Hungarian minorities. While these investments are often framed as cultural and sports diplomacy, they serve a much broader purpose: expanding Hungary’s influence in Central and Eastern Europe.

Read more

FC Taxpayer: How Orbán Turned Football into His Playground

“The Prime Minister is helping to save the club,” ran the headline of Viktor Orbán’s favorite state-run sports daily the other day. I had to glance at it twice to ensure we had not returned to the 1950s when Communist Party leaders and commissars made every sports decision. Well, the only real difference is that during the 50s, Hungarian football was really at its peak. 

Read more

Missed Opportunity

The much-anticipated debate in the European Parliament took place yesterday. It offered an opportunity for everyone to voice their own narrative, to offer ideas, a vision, and perhaps a solution for Europe. Unfortunately, no one took this opportunity. 

Read more

‘All the Red Lines Had Been Crossed’: CEA Talk with Finland Amb. Jari Vilén

In late March, the Hungarian parliament ratified Finland’s NATO membership, which led to joining it as a member a week later. At the time, some Hungarian officials “spent months telling counterparts that they had no objections, and their parliament was simply busy with other business,” as reported by Politico. “Budapest changed its narrative… with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán… arguing the point that some of his legislators had qualms regarding criticism of the state of Hungarian democracy.” While taking longer than perhaps hoped, the Hungarian parliament ultimately voted to ratify it by a margin of 182 to 6 on March 27.

Read more

Government Arrogance Defies Scientific Facts

The past three months have seen a surge in legislation regarding the Chinese app TikTok, mainly for security reasons; that is, the app is partly owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Starting with the United States and continuing with Canada, the European Union finally realized the apparent cybersecurity threat. From March 20, the Chinese app has been suspended from all corporate devices of the EU’s leading institutions.

Read more

The other way

  • March 30, 2023
  • CEA
  • Comment off

On the same day as the Hungarian prime minister’s State of the Nation address, important international speeches were delivered as well. There is a stark contrast between Obán’s words, and the communication of other European leaders.

Read more

Half the Population Thinks TikTok is Unsafe

The past three months have seen a surge in legislation regarding the Chinese app TikTok, mainly for security reasons; that is, the app is partly owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Starting with the United States and continuing with Canada, the European Union finally realized the apparent cybersecurity threat. From March 20, the Chinese app has been suspended from all corporate devices of the EU’s leading institutions.

Read more

Amb. Bonis: Sanctions are meant to cripple Russian aggression

CEA Talks host Zoltán Kész interviews the ambassador of the Netherlands to Hungary, Désirée Bonis. The topics include the two countries’ business, cultural and historical connections, and some politics. Ms Bonis talks about the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland and how she imagines the war ending. From the EU point of view, corruption is a big problem in Hungary, and populism is threatening democracy worldwide. But after all, the EU is still a unique society of liberty and freedom, which we should all be proud of.

Read more

The Children of the Revolution

Author: Zoltán Kész Not a day goes by without someone asking the legitimate question about the legacy of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution which was brutally put down by the Soviets and present-day Hungary. How is it possible that a country that suffered so much under the yoke of communist Soviet Union has become the biggest […]

Read more

Central European Affairs Magazine is issued by PROSUM

Twitter Facebook Youtube

Explore

  • NEWSLETTER
  • ISSUED BY

© All Copyright 2025 by Central European Affairs

Title
.