‘I got so much from this country: a career, a family, a new life’ — A Conversation with Adam LeBor

‘I picked a character—for example, Klára Andrássy or my late father-in-law, Róbert Ligeti—and just wrote out their story. Then, I had the key dates. Then, I wrote out the next one. And then I did it date by date: what was happening in spring 1941? What happened in 1942? Therefore, some chapters cover a shorter time—in 1942 and 1943—and the main story is about diplomacy in trying to change sides. But in 1944, after the Germans invaded, there were many, many stories going on and many characters,’ Adam LeBor told Hungarian Conservative.

Dong Yuan, Xiao and Xiang Rivers (10th century). Palace Museum, Beijing, China

China, the West, and the Global Culture War

‘Debates connected to the culture war, including even on such amorphous issues as the West’s slide into spiritual nihilism or the loss of its inner will, are directly relevant to international politics and even international security. Western strategic thinkers must take these issues into account just as analysts in Beijing or Moscow do. To do otherwise would be a potentially dangerous mistake.’

Hungarian FM Cautions Against Dismissing Trump’s ‘Shockingly Innovative’ Gaza Plan

In an interview with Fox News, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó cautioned against underestimating US President Donald Trump’s dealmaking skills concerning the recently announced Gaza plan. Szijjártó drew a parallel to the skepticism that initially surrounded the Abraham Accords, which nonetheless succeeded in bringing a new dimension to life in the Middle East.

The Feast of Purification

‘Under the Mosaic legislation, any woman after bringing a son into the world was considered unclear for seven days; she had to wait for another 33 days before presenting herself in the temple. This so-called spiritual impurity refers to a certain distance from the source of life: God Himself, for she is no longer part of the singular act of creation, the conception of a child.’

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with the US military delegation led by General Michael Kurilla to discuss the situation in southern Lebanon and military cooperation in Beirut, Lebanon, on 13 January 2025.

After Two Years, Lebanon Finally Elects a President

‘Besides all the bad news, there are sometimes good ones, too, even from difficult regions like the Middle East. After a long time, a new president has been elected in Lebanon,’ Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó commented on the election of Michael Aoun.

Eugène Siberdt, The Prophet Nathan Rebukes King David (between1866 and 1931). Mayfair Gallery, London, UK

The Future of Christianity in Politics

‘Christianity from its beginnings has presented something new with regard to political life: a certain indifference, if I may put it that way, to the political regime. That is, it enjoins rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s, and hence obeying one’s rulers so long as they do not demand sin, especially idolatry. These injunctions are founded on the faith that the City of God rather than the City of Man is man’s ultimate destiny.’

Trump Admin Left EU on Read — And It Couldn’t Be Better

Despite desperate efforts to capture the attention of the new US administration, Donald Trump’s foreign policy team does not appear interested in engaging with the European Union as a bloc. Instead, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has prioritized bilateral discussions with individual member states. This approach offers European nations an opportunity to reclaim their sovereign foreign policy, which has increasingly been overshadowed and taken over by Brussels in recent years, often against their will.