Hungarian Conservative

General Amir Avivi, the founder of the Israel Defence and Security Forum, also highlighted in his briefing following the IRI attack that the fact that Israel and its allies intercepted 99 per cent of the rockets ‘showed that Israel could cope with a direct attack from Iran, and can coordinate efficiently with its allies to defend itself.’

Former President Trump’s criminal trial has begun in Manhattan, which some polling data suggests could cost him his victory in the presidential election in November. However, President Biden is not in a great position either as the economy and the state of foreign affairs have recently worsened, and he was already struggling with a low approval rating on these issues. How will all this end?

Whether Budapest will remain a stronghold of the left is at stake in the municipal elections to be held on 9 June 2024. Mayor of Budapest is practically the highest political office directly elected by citizens in Hungary, but the outcome of the June election is exciting not only because of that but also because the capital has been the scene of daily party political battles ever since the last election in 2019.

Iran launched an unprecedented air strike against Israel on Saturday night. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reacted by convening the Defence Council on Sunday. The PM reassured Hungarian families that the government is committed to protecting them should the conflict escalate.

‘People in Europe want change, and they will certainly voice this in the elections, which will result in a shift in the political balance of the European Parliament. However, I don’t think this is a revolutionary change. It will hardly change the balance of power in the board too much, but there is at least a chance that the atmosphere will change. We’ll see where all this could lead us.’

‘Schmitt’s thought becomes particularly relevant in understanding how governments define the parameters of inclusion and exclusion in their responses to the pandemic. Schmitt’s theories provide a realistic framework for analysing such complex political issues, and understanding such a critical perspective might encourage visible improvements in liberal legal and political systems.’

The roster of speakers for CPAC Hungary 2024 has been expanded with some real American ‘heavyweights’. This year’s event holds particular significance as it occurs amidst the campaign for the crucial European Parliament elections in June.

‘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.’

President Joe Biden issued a declaration marking 31 March as ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’. While that day has always been held by some odd people on that date, this year it coincided with Easter Sunday, causing outrage among many Christians in the United States.

‘The fact that Hungary has to fight like hell for its right to be normal is a sign of the times. So is the fact that in America, as in almost every Western country, the borders are a fiction, our heroes are hated, our free speech is taken away from us, scientists proclaim the desirability of sculpting the genitals of children into works of art—and these things barely make news. We have grown accustomed to decadence.’

‘The way PM Orbán has redefined Hungarian identity and sought to maintain, develop and foster relationships with Hungarians who were dispossessed of their homeland in the Treaty of Trianon is something I personally have tremendous respect for. ’

Early in March Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli visited Hungary and met Hungary’s Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, several Hungarian Jewish community leaders, while also giving presentations on the Gaza War. Jews in Hungary can practice their faith in safety in contrast to many other European nations, he noted during his visit.

‘It’s just unarguably the case that whatever it is they accuse someone like Viktor Orbán of doing, the progressive left in America, it is quite clear that these conditions apply in immeasurably more effect to the American system.’

POLITICO, the mouthpiece of the liberal mainstream, published a very interesting article recently on the war in Ukraine, which came to a completely different conclusion from the previous narrative: it asserted that peace talks will soon become inevitable.

The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade summoned Ambassador David Pressman on Tuesday in response to US President Joe Biden’s statement, in which he had implicitly referred to Viktor Orbán as a dictator.

‘Is Pope Francis correct to suggest that this is a war Ukraine cannot win, and so, it should start seeking a truce with Russia? Ending the war, even a ceasefire, is not an act of cowardice, especially when there is no end in sight.’

French President Emmanuel Macron has captured the attention of the international community with his increasingly bold pro-war statements recently. What could be the intentions driving Macron’s rhetoric?

The Prime Minister of Hungary talked about the need for a global movement ‘advocating for justice, tradition, families, and the people’ at the event.

Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is the frontrunner to become NATO’s next Secretary General, with the support of Washington, London, Berlin, and Paris. However, Hungary has expressed objections regarding the Dutch politician’s candidacy. As a consensus is required for his election, a Hungarian veto could potentially lead to Rutte’s downfall.

During his trip to the United States, Balázs Orbán was hosted by Tucker Carlson, which suggests that the latter may have an interview in the pipeline with the Hungarian Prime Minister’s political director. In addition to launching his latest book, Balázs Orbán travelled to the United States to prepare Viktor Orbán’s visit coming up this week.

‘The US Constitution must be first and foremost interpreted via the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the ‘Creator’, as well as the ‘Laws of Nature and Nature’s God’—an archaic term developed by the Anglican clergyman in his Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie (1594), which equate to the natural law and God’s divine precepts.[1] John Locke, perhaps the philosopher who influenced the Founding Fathers, in his Two Treatises on Government, likewise identified the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God as God’s moral legislation inscribed in the heart of man. This is because man himself is by nature unable to know the divine moral directives such as doing good unto others.’

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the prospect of peace remains as distant as it did 24 months ago. However, with the upcoming political events in Europe and the United States, 2024 holds the potential for significant changes. With these crucial events ahead, there is hope that 2025 could finally become the year of peace in Ukraine.

In her book Last Warning to the West: Hungary’s Triumph Over Communism and the Woke Agenda, Shea Bradley-Farrell, President of the Counterpoint Institute and a leading member of the Center for Fundamental Rights, presents Hungarian historical roots and recommends the Hungarian example to Western countries.

In his regular Friday morning interview PM Orbán discussed, among other topics, the upcoming ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession, and the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

‘We must defeat, not pacify, the Palestinian dream of annihilating Israel. Defeat, not come to terms with nor even deter. But this may well turn out to be a historical turning point of history beyond Israel because it is a wake-up call for the West in general. The West has lost its immune system in a multicultural haze that has left it unable to see differences.’

‘The notion of ‘Judeo-Christian’, putting aside its religious connotation, as the foundation of Western civility is rather arbitrary, if not ambiguous. Various Christian fundamentalists and self-proclaimed traditional Catholics have employed the ‘Judeo-Christian’ discourse to justify their backing of Israel, despite the term being neither eschatological nor doctrinal. ’

On Saturday, 17 February, Viktor Orbán delivered his 25th State of the Nation address, which was centred around topics such as the scandal surrounding President Katalin Novák, the reinforcement of the child protection system, Hungary’s relationship with the European Union, and the forthcoming EU and US elections.

Secretary Mayorkas was impeached for neglecting his responsibility to protect the borders of the United States. He is only the second US Department Secretary to be indicted by the lower chamber of Congress in American history and the first since 1876.

‘Allowing a diversity of opinion to inform one’s judgment really can be a source of strength. And, to paraphrase Cicero, taking history seriously is necessary if you wish to be a grown-up on the world stage, not a child, stomping around looking for somewhere to bomb, and somewhere else to bully.’

According to a recent survey, Europeans express greater apprehension towards migration and radical Islamist terrorism than towards the threat posed by Russia. The findings of the poll suggest a significant disconnect between the issues European elites focus on and the genuine concerns of the general populace.