Should search and rescue forces again be dispatched by Budapest for humanitarian relief efforts in ravaged Turkey, they would face dangerous terrain, and not just from the unstable tectonic plates. The Hungarians have to navigate through an exceptionally dangerous geopolitical landscape, but they do have cards to play.

Hungarians struggle with the question of whether they feel more oriented to the East or to the West. The tightening grip of the European Union may cause them to think their future is not with Brussels.