Hungarian Conservative

The US Senate has broken the months-long stalemate by voting in favour of the Ukraine aid bill. The political significance of this decision is indisputable, but what implications does it hold for the course of the war?

‘Last week in the United States, President Joe Biden released new rules governing Title IX, a part of American civil rights law governing its application to discrimination against women. With no participation of Congress, Biden’s administration declared that the Title IX rules now generally apply to transgendered people. The meaning of this cannot be understated. The civil rights law passed to protect women now protects men who declare themselves to be women.’

‘Hungary has the ability to initiate some proposals to its neighbours regarding what steps to take to reduce the harmful effects of the war. The region needs to agree on what the long-term interests of its countries in the region are in the shadow of the war in Ukraine,’ China’s foremost political scientist holds.

The Chinese scholar observed that whereas technological advancement—from the telegraph and 5G or from the industrial revolution to the digital age—progresses linearly, global politics exhibits ‘retrogressive’ dynamics or regression.  The First World War was a regression in comparison to the calm times of before it began; the interwar years were a period of growth, while the Second World War was also a regression. In his view, the current era also represents a step backwards.

Six direct flights will connect Hungary and China starting this summer, following Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó’s announcement in Beijing on Tuesday of a new service from Budapest to Xi’an. Direct connectivity plays a vital role in Sino–Hungarian economic and trade relations.

In a February episode of the Reflections from Budapest podcast the Director-General of the Tikvah Fund highlighted the neo-Marxist narrative in the West which holds that ‘weak is just’, and since the Palestinians are presented as weak, Israel is portrayed as their oppressor.

‘The apocalyptic notion of overpopulation, which is taught in grade schools, instilled in centers of higher education, and pushed by NGOs, has even drawn together conservative politicians with their left colleagues, though for different motives. The latter sustain the pretext of saving the environment at all cost, even at the cost of human beings themselves. The former, instead, argue on the vitality of offsetting the growing fertility among immigrants with that of their decreasing indigenous population.’

The bill will now go to the Democratic-majority Senate, where it is not expected to face any obstacles and could be signed by President Joe Biden within a week. Hard-line Republicans have again vowed to impeach House Speaker Mike Johnson for bringing the proposal to the House floor.

About 5 per cent of the Hungarian GDP is generated by the auto industry, therefore, initially, the EU’s decision to ban the sale of all new combustion-engine cars in 2035 was met with resistance in Hungary. Due to the ban, it is expected that from 2035 on practically only electric vehicles will be allowed to be sold in the European single market, which could have left the Hungarian economy that was dependent on the old technology vulnerable. Fortunately, however, Hungary showed a remarkable ability to adapt to the changing circumstances. In the past two years since the ban was proposed electric battery manufacturers have been engaged, which helps facilitate the green transition of the Hungarian car industry.

NATO accession, defending the countries of Central Europe, success in academia and standing up for one’s heritage. These topics interest many these days, and Joanna Siekiera is an expert on them. In this interview she discusses the ‘blocking’ of Swedish NATO accession, the influence of smaller EU countries globally, academia and cybersecurity.

Since 2017, the increase in the number of people employed in the high-tech sector has been larger than the increase in the number of people employed, and their share has also grown. This is the period when we were propelled into the EU lead. While in 2017 we were 0.9 percentage points above the EU average, by 2021 our lead had increased to 1.6 percentage points. During this time, the number of people working in the sector increased by a third to 300,000.

‘In other words, Hussar Cut puts into a broader perspective the policies that PM Viktor Orbán carried out in the recent decade. It is also a comprehensive analysis of international relations, with special emphasis on the currently changing world order. Balázs Orbán draws the conclusion that the changes of the international system have made a new strategy necessary for Hungary.’

Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and Fabrice Leggeri, former head of the EU border agency Frontex and current lead candidate for the right-wing National Rally (RN) party participated in a public discussion held in the European Parliament on Tuesday. They shared their concerns regarding migration and the newly adopted Migration Pact, agriculture, and green policies.

Joanna Siekiera, Arvid Hallén, and Tamás Csiki Varga discussed how the European Union can and should be shaping its common defence policy in the wake of the emerging Russian threat, as well as what role NATO plays in European defence policy.

According to the statement, the number of cars equipped with light green official markings increased by nearly by three thousand in March. The growth by 2,920 units significantly surpasses the previous peak of 2,594 units registered in February this year.

‘Christian doctrine as taught by the Church of Rome had historically provided society with a point of reference for moral guidance, which subsequently “ensure[d] that politics remain[ed] rational and d[id] not fall into the trap of ideologies”. Yet since the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the institutional Church, or some who speak for Her, have steadily dismantled the remnants of Christendom with ambiguous, if not erroneous teachings.’

‘There is a ridiculous claim that keeps resurfacing in the Ukrainian, Slovakian and Romanian press: that Hungary has territorial claims against Ukraine. While neither the intention, nor the slightest chance or means are there to support the ridiculous Russian PSYOPS stunt, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Romania continue to think it is real. Is it because of their bad conscience over the oppressed hundreds of thousands of Hungarians in these countries?’

The Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet talked to József Horváth, senior security policy fellow at the Center for Fundamental Rights, about former CIA agent and whistleblower John Stockwell’s revelations about the American intelligence agencies’ nefarious practices and collaborations with the mainstream media.

As of the end of 2023, Hungary’s national debt stood at 55.134 trillion HUF, 73.5 per cent of its GDP. Its debt-to-GDP ratio is considerably lower than that of the Eurozone countries, the collective debt of which amounts to 90.3 per cent of their combined GDP.

Another, earlier-than-ever date has emerged regarding the completion of the Hungarian section of the Budapest–Belgrade railway line. As before, the source of the information on the new date is the Serbian President.

‘Green energy production, storage, utilization, and recycling: this is how the green economy is built, of which Hungary is a leader in the world, not a follower’, Government Commissioner László György stated in Debrecen, encouraging citizens to fill in the green energy consultation questionnaire.

‘There was a period in American history when elite financial interests were aligned with the national interest. Now, those are diverging. I’m calling for cultivating a contemporary sense of noblesse oblige and a solidarity with everyday people, while still maintaining a class of people [who can govern] through merit and who care about culture, art, and serious liberal arts education.’

The Brazilian relationship is a valuable connection to an emerging power of the 21st century, without serious geopolitical cost attached.

The Hungarian nobility—not only the Seklers—considered themselves to be of Hun-Scythian origin throughout the Middle Ages and partly during the modern period, and although the Scythian question should be examined separately from this fact, it is obvious to us that this sense of origin—in the light of the latest archaeogenetic results— coincides with medieval chronicle tradition and the idea of a Hunnic origin was probably not ‘adopted from Western chronicles’, as earlier research suggested.

With increasing international pressure, Ukraine is set to abandon its list of ‘international sponsors of the war’. For a significant period, this list featured the largest Hungarian bank, OTP, leading to considerable tension between Hungary and Ukraine.

The progressive media’s fabrication factory is operating at full throttle, now attempting to convince American citizens that a potential electoral defeat of Donald Trump will lead to a ‘bloodbath’ in the United States using an out-of-context quote from the former president. This tactic is neither novel nor unfamiliar, particularly for Hungary, since PM Viktor Orbán is frequently targeted in similar smear campaigns.

Diaspora Higher Education Scholar Oliver Zrínyi, who is currently studying in Pécs, Hungary, talks about his Hungarian roots, his passion for music, and his future plan of living and working in Hungary.

Following talks with his Thai counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó revealed that tourist traffic between the two countries has doubled, with more than 10,000 Thai tourists visiting Hungary last year, while more than 30,000 Hungarians travelled to Thailand.

‘Donald Trump is the president of peace,’ Viktor Orbán said in an interview with public M1 television. The interview focused, among other topics, on the Hungarian prime minister’s visit to the US last week.

In our new print issue, among other eminent authors and fascinating topics, Carlos Roa covers the BRICS nations’ efforts to dethrone the US dollar as the number one global reserve currency; Levente Benkő writes about Hungary’s place in a changing world order between the East and the West; and Eric Hendric contributes a piece about Geert Wilders’ right-wing populist PVV party winning the recent parliamentary election in the Netherlands.