In this interview, world-famous Hungarian American physicist Albert-László Barabási shared his thoughts about the Covid pandemic, the relationship between art and science, Székely stubbornness and curiosity.

‘In Gaza, Judea, and Samaria, we will have to do de-Nazification programmes just like Germany after WW II, to de-Nazify the society from all of these antisemitic textbooks and praising of terrorists…All of this will have to change.’

‘It goes against the Constitution and undermines the legitimacy of democracy in Spain, granting legitimacy to criminals. So what we have at this moment is a criminal alliance which gives the majority to Sánchez. This is why Vox and Abascal have emphatically stated that we have an illegitimate and illegal government, and they refuse to recognize it, viewing it as a coup d’état.’

When aiming for lower emissions, it is easier for EU politicians to shut down farms than shut down industries, because farming has a smaller impact and is less visible, which makes it an easy target, governance expert Richard J. Schenk argues.

‘It seems clear that both federalists and sovereigntists agree that the current treaty framework isn’t up to the task of addressing the crises in the European Union and its Member States. To tackle these issues, it’s evident that new treaties need to be crafted.’

‘It’s a bit overblown, this ‘Hollywood dream’ thing. All you have to do is work hard, that’s the secret. I am one hundred and ten per cent sure that nothing was in vain, and my dreams will come true.’

‘If you are a Hungarian, then I think you have a duty to conserve Hungarian culture. And there is certain music that is native to Hungary. If you’re an Austrian, or a German, then really the most important people in your musical culture are Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, these names.’

While Turkish–Hungarian relations are based on mutual interests, Ankara regards Hungary as a strong ally, and a country that is linked to Turkey by a sense of kinship, according to Turkish Ambassador to Hungary Gülşen Karanis Ekşioğlu.

Marriage is a social good, liberal abortion laws cheapen life, and religious perspectives are legitimate if they are properly articulated. An interview about re-moralized Western states, the limitations of free speech and the right to be born as a human right.

‘The path to peace in the Middle East is clear and straightforward, it’s about having the political will…If we can envision a world in which world powers actively check the Islamic Republic regime or even support the Iranian people in their quest for freedom to overthrow this regime and return to Iran’s ancient noble history, we could eliminate 90 per cent of the destabilization in the region. From there, we would work towards more peace deals between Israel and its Arab neighbours, building on the successful model of the Abraham Accords.’

‘I think that’s why the European Commission does not take the approach with Eurobarometer that the Hungarian government is taking with the National Consultations—because they would realize that Europeans are more supportive of centre-right policies than they would want to put their name and admit to.’

Islamic terrorism aims to destroy the West, and mass immigration from Muslim countries is the breeding ground for terrorism, Daniele Scalea holds. An interview about the impossibility of assimilation, the hypocrisy of the West, and the abuse of European asylum regulations.

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.