‘Armenia, according to the hagiographical account of the monk Agathangelos, is considered to be the first Christian nation when in the year 301 A.D. the Armenian King Trdat III was baptized by St. Gregory the Illuminator. Yet, if one is to accept legend as history in that Armenia was the first nation to officially accept Christianity, then Ethiopia, based on what is written on the 8th chapter in the Acts of the Apostles, has a better claim to that title.’
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will attend the first EU-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Brussels on Wednesday, co-chaired by European Council President Charles Michel and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The summit aims to strengthen partnerships amidst growing geopolitical challenges. Orbán will also join the European Council meeting later this week.
‘A new study finds that 80 per cent of immigrants in the labor force are more likely to become entrepreneurs. Immigrant entrepreneurs have tended to have a more profound impact on overall labor demand by starting companies that hire new workers, creating a positive ripple-effect on the economy. In fact, as reported by Forbes, an estimated 45 per cent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, among them America’s top companies.’
‘It seems to me that Orbán sees his people as having a greater chance of surviving the disintegration of the West by forming ties to China. He might be proven wrong by history. But make no mistake: the dilemma facing Viktor Orbán is a lot like that facing Grand Prince Géza: How to strengthen the position of the small Hungarian nation amid the struggle of powerful states and empires? Géza’s geopolitical decision to baptism his son as a Latin Christian set the course of Hungarian history for a millennium. The stakes may well be as high for Orbán today.’
In an interview with the prominent Hungarian outlet Mandinder.hu, British political scientist and commentator Matt Goodwin talked about the perception of Prime Minister Orbán in the UK, the ‘liberal conservatism’ of the Conservative Party and its consequent electoral defeat, as well as the ‘ideological civil war’ brewing on the British right.
Two important events played a role in Rákóczi’s return to Hungary in 1703. On the one hand, the unfolding War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), which meant the withdrawal of most of the imperial regiments from the country, and on the other, the uprising of the serfs of Munkács, provided the perfect opportunity for Rákóczi to organize an armed rebellion. At the request of Tamás Esze, the leader of the uprising in the Tiszahát region, Francis II Rákóczi took the lead in the what developed into a War of Independence, issuing a proclamation calling on nobles and non-nobles alike to take up arms.
‘This 4th of July, my own country’s independence day, Americans can look with solidarity to the struggles of Hungary and of all democracies against the many faces of tyranny in these last few centuries.’
‘In the end, the USD’s centrality to the system of global payments also increases the power of sanctions it imposes on other countries or individuals. In truth, since almost all trade is done in American dollars, even trade among other countries, they can always be subject to US sanctions because they are handled by so-called correspondent banks with accounts at the Federal Reserve. By cutting off the ability to transact in USD, Washington can make it uncomfortable for those it blacklists to do business.’
‘Nevertheless, the Tories will be swept away by popular anger on 4 July. Then, who’s left? No one else than the infamous Nigel Farage. And it is exactly the Conservative Party’s obfuscation and identity crisis that Brexit leader Nigel Farage has used to launch the Reform UK party.’
Commenting on the European Court of Justice’s recent ruling against Hungary, Professor Allan opined that the Court’s ‘interpretive approach to reading the underlying legal materials is living constitutionalism on steroids.’ He added: ‘If it were an American court or a Canadian court doing it, I’d say they’re making it up at the point of application, they’re just making the law up. When that starts happening it’s very difficult to know how to deal with it.’