The outcome of the Israel-Hamas war is unpredictable, the US support of Israel is two-faced, and the occupation of Gaza would be an enormous military burden very hard to disengage from, Christopher J. Farrell, Director for Investigations and Research at Judicial Watch and a former US Army counterintelligence officer argues.
‘Hungary’s not asking for something that is illegal, as the state is just exercising its legal rights in a way that is—from a Brussels point of view—unpopular,’ Professor Charles Kesler of Claremont McKenna College argues. An interview about federalism, diplomacy and the alleged ‘Hamiltonian moment’ of Europe.
‘Many academics are cautious about what they say because they fear the opinions of their colleagues,’ Prof Renée Lerner argues. An interview about minority rights, judicial activism and manipulative federalist tendencies within the EU.
‘Israel does recognize who were the true friends and Hungary has proved for a long period of time under Viktor Orbán’s leadership that—despite the pressure from larger and possibly more powerful European countries—it can stand alone at times and will not conform with this general line that of “both sides are to blame, both sides are wrong, and let them find the solution”. Hungary understands without any doubt who the murderers are and who the victims are.’
‘Hungary now faces three options: exiting the European Union, surrendering, or actively forming alliances,’ David Tse-Chien Pan, a Professor of German at the University of California, Irvine, argues. An interview about sovereignty, populism and Hungarian intellectual life.
‘The foremost step is to acknowledge, from a political standpoint, that we are in an increasingly complex world: under these circumstances, India, Europe, Central Europe and Hungary can indeed work together,’ Professor Raja Mohan, a leading expert on Indian foreign policy suggests.
‘If the Hungarian government has other countries standing up for Hungary, that’s the best way to push back against Washington and Brussels,’ argues James Carafano, Senior Counselor to the President and E.W. Richardson Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
According to Professor Tokuchi, the war on Ukraine is likely to last for a substantial period of time, engagement with China is necessary but risky, and demographic challenges seriously influence Japan’s future defence capabilities.
‘It didn’t take too much time to realize that having the belief that Heaven exists and thinking that merely aiming for it as a life purpose isn’t substantial. It is not a sufficient goal in life, it will not convey the reality of Heaven. I came to the realization that solely making choices for my own salvation isn’t sufficient. To fulfil the concealed purposes of Heaven and make a transformative impact on others’ lives, I require God’s guidance. When you don’t get a miracle, be one.’
‘Governments have a duty to their own citizens to maintain the character of the country,’ Tony Abbott, former prime minister of Australia argues. An interview on migration, family policy, foreign relations, and the Russo-Ukrainian war.
‘One of the most dangerous trends we are seeing in the West is the increasing deployment of the rule of law for instrumental political ends. We are seeing this in the European Union, just as we are seeing it used in the United States, with those in power invoking the rule of law as a weapon against political dissidents and adversaries. This should alarm all of us, no matter where we are personally situated on the political spectrum. ‘
‘Regardless of whether the outcome is positive or negative, I believe a historian’s duty is to try to reconstruct what happened through primary sources from the archives, as objectively as possible.’
‘It makes me extremely embarrassed and sad as an American to see this envoy from the Biden administration coming here with bizarre sex politics, trying to push them on Hungarians for no reason that benefits American national security or the economy.’
The Tranzit Festival in Tihany begins today. Beside Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, opposition politicians will also participate in the event. Márton Békés, chief editor of the organising Kommentár magazine, spoke with Mandiner about what to expect at the conservative intellectual gathering, the culture war, and more.
‘The best interests of children are not served by turning education into this battleground over values and this instrumental way of solving problems in society. Because as you do that, what was traditionally understood as the purpose of education, gets crowded up. And it becomes less about inculcating or teaching young people about what the best that human beings have thought or written or done: the things that as a society we have deemed worthy of being passed down to the next generation. Instead, it becomes about all of different projects.’
Hungary as a small country does not make decisions for global order as a whole, but it has a unique message for many other small and medium-sized countries that are in the same situation as Hungary, with the same interests in openness to other countries, connections with other countries, their existing alliances, and which also have an interest in preserving their culture and identity, Gladden Pappin suggests.
‘A significant part of European culture is fading away. The Greek tradition of philosophy, knowledge, curiosity, is being lost. We live in the period of cancel culture, of narrowing down what can be contested or argued or put into question. In terms of reason, of statecraft, state building, practical political rationality, much has also been lost.’
According to Professor Durodié, the EU is a fundamentally anti-democratic set of institutions that excludes the voice of the people. It is a project that lost its sense of history and therefore does no longer know where it is going to.
Manna Forest Garden provides the family with vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, and spices, while it also benefits nature. Magyar Krónika asked Zsuzsi Mag, the owner and the leader of the project, about permaculture forest gardens in Hungary.
Instead of labelling it as a ‘Revenge Act,’ Klebelsberg President Gabriella Hajnal suggests it be called the ‘Career Path Act’ since it emphasises the importance of teachers and grants them a unique legal status. An interview about the National Core Curriculum, the burdens of teachers and the negative stereotypes around the new reform.
István András Kiss spent many years playing for the Kolozsvár (Cluj) team CFR; he even won the national youth league with their youth team in 1985. In this interview he speaks about what it was like to be an ethnic Hungarian football player in Communist Romania, where ‘class warfare and chauvinism could easily co-exist’.
When it comes to political groups, we generally lean towards showing them the way out, says László Lukács. An interview with the founder and frontman of one of the most influential rock bands in Hungary called Tankcsapda, about faith, country, and his virtual life on social media.
Hungary should assert its national sovereignty and resist the imposition of global norms on aggressive sexual progressivism through UN documents, Austin Ruse, president of the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam) argues.
Hungary does a fine job resisting the LGBT agenda and shaping cultural institutions in line with the public sentiment, Dr Joanna Williams opines. An interview about wokeism, censorship, and possible remedies.
‘Today, in Europe, noise ranks second after air pollution in terms of environmental damage that causes death, and this cannot be taken seriously enough. Perhaps we underestimate the magnitude of this problem because it is not like a factory chimney blowing smoke, an oil slick floating on the surface of the water, or the garbage that covers our neighbourhoods. It is invisible.’
‘Political controversy was very hard on him. We worried for him, and tried to look after him. He took the attacks personally, and we tried to cheer him up, to love him. Sometimes, of course, I wondered why he had to get into a controversy that caused pain for himself and others, and maybe disagreement between us. I spoke about this with his sister. Roger knew what he was talking about and why he was defending his position. He had a sense of duty, and a gift to speak up. A lot of people encouraged him.’
As concerns regarding Ukraine’s minority law continue to linger, FUEN President Loránt Vincze provides valuable insights into the Venice Commission’s recent findings and their implications for the fundamental rights of individuals belonging to ethnic minorities.
‘Although the outcome is yet unknown, I think that any kind of ascent should start with the (re)construction of the infrastructure to connect the partners. After the completion of this task, we should think about declaring, promoting and following the basic values and principles shared by the Central European countries and nations. These principles will allow us to find a common language, free from the ‘progressive’ ideologies that characterise the West now.’
‘Every child deserves the chance at a great education, no matter where they live or how much money their parents earn…Traditional schools, charter schools, private schools, homeschool—no matter where a child is studying, they should have the chance at a great opportunity. And great progress has been made!’
‘Historically, wars are coups d’états in the interior of the political process. It’s usually invisible to outsiders and it usually doesn’t respond to outside activity. The war in Ukraine started with people who are non-historians reading the history of Russia, the way a non-historian is looking for something relevant today. So, whenever they think that they have some historical information, it’s always misinformation because it gets taken out of context.’