Hungarian Conservative

A new world order, European security, shifting geopolitics and the nuances of energy security were discussed by renowned experts at a conference at the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the Prime Minister’s political director stressed the urgency of diplomatic talks, highlighting their potential to save lives and mitigate the risk of a global conflict.

‘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.’

Brussels police has attempted to shut down the National Conservatism Conference that began this morning in Brussels. The gathering features, among others, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The left has been striving to obstruct the right-wing event for days, seemingly resorting to extreme measures to suppress dissent.

At the launch event of the new book published by MCC Press and the Migration Research Institute titled Kié itt a tér? (Who does this space belong to?) a panel discussion was held on the dire consequences of uncontrolled immigration, the failures of integration, and possible solutions.

The conservative education policy advocated by the Hungarian government has faced substantial criticism from the left recently. Responding to the accusations from the left, János Setényi, Director of the Learning Institute of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) gave a brief interview to Hungarian Conservative.

Balázs Orbán’s book, Hussar Cut: The Hungarian Strategy for Connectivity, was presented at the Danube Institute on Wednesday. At the event, alongside the Hungarian Prime Minister’s political director, American researchers explained why the book is a landmark for both Hungary and the United States.

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 Prime Minister’s political director Balázs Orbán held a book launch at the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest. The new book, now also available in English, looks at the changing geopolitical world order as well as Hungary’s role and place in it.

Balázs Orbán observes that Brussels believes it is in the interest of European countries for the Russo-Ukrainian war to continue or possibly escalate. Hungary, on the other hand, is of a different opinion; this conflict has no military solution and a diplomatic resolution is needed.

US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman gave two recent interviews to the British press. He criticized Hungary’s foreign policy in both of them, claiming that it was based on ‘fantasy’—Hungarian MP and State Secretary Tamás Menczer has responded to the criticism.

András Cser-Palkovics, the Mayor of Székesfehérvár highlighted the importance of having one of Europe’s largest talent development networks and communities present in Székesfehérvár. This presence will contribute to the city providing young people with state-of-the-art knowledge, keeping them in Hungary, or bringing them back from elsewhere, he underscored.

Saad noticed that there aren’t any pro-Palestinian demonstrations being held in Hungary, unlike in Western Europe. He queried Balázs Orbán about the matter on the social media platform X.

The political director of the Prime Minister emphasized that the EU treaty is unequivocal: expanding the EU requires the consent of the member states, and Hungary’s rights cannot be restricted beyond a certain extent by any procedural rule.

Regarding the acceptance of the fifty billion euros financial package for Ukraine, he noted that it would have meant a serious and immediate detriment to Hungary. ‘We see that the European Union wants to finance a failed strategy, and it makes no sense whatsoever,’ he expressed.

The German version of the travel blog Weloveholidays has compiled the nine most popular castles in Europe, based on Instagram posts and TripAdvisor reviews, for the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company’s foundation. The Buda Castle ended up being ranked #8.

Balázs Orbán presented the French version of his book The Hungarian Way of Strategy at a roundtable discussion organized by the Hungarian consulate in Paris. The second part of the book, focusing on economic issues, is expected to hit the shelves before Christmas.

The Hungarian Prime Minister and his team are clearly in a creative mood: they have published a funnily irreverent Star Wars-themed TikTok video, built on some key sentences in Viktor Orbán’s 23 October speech.

Pelosi recently gave an interview to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. When asked about Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, she replied that ‘she is doing ok,’ but then contrasted that with Hungary, who she believes should not even be in the EU for its lack of support for Ukraine.

US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman was quick to condemn PM Viktor Orbán’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on the social media platform X., suggesting the Hungarian prime minister was ‘pleading for business deals’. In response, Balázs Orbán pointed out that the US has in fact doubled its import of enriched uranium from Russia since the start of the war.

The Third Danube Institute Geopolitical Summit took place last week in the Castle District of Budapest, with such illustrious guests sharing their insights as former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, former Czech President Václav Klaus, Head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Hungarians Abroad Zsolt Németh, and Lewis Libby, researcher at the Hudson Institute and advisor to former US President George W. Bush.

According to the European Conservative Reformist Party, similarly to what the Hungarian government advocates, what Europe needs is not a federalist dogma, but sovereign nation states taking into consideration the peculiar needs and characters of regions and communities, for the sake of a prosperous and competitive continent.

The Hungarian Jewish leaders and the Israeli Prime Minister discussed issues of Jewish communal life in Hungary and the events that may accompany the possible relocation of the Hungarian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  With the potential move of the Hungarian mission to Jerusalem Hungary would become the first EU country to recognize that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.

Boris Palmer was once a wunderkind of Germany’s Greens, but his controversial takes on migration and cancel culture have forced him out of his party. His appearance at one of MCC’s events is not less divisive: is he a new Orbán-Versteher in the making?

‘Hungary is a literal crossroads nation between Europe and Asia due to its geography and culture. It exists on the edge of Western civilization, as can be seen in Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations. In his book, “east” of the Hungarian People starts what he describes as the distinct Orthodox civilization, and nearby also lies the Islamic civilization. Even though Hungary is now a part of the West, it still has links to the East, which is most notable through language as well as cultural origins and heritage.’

At the opening of the academic year of the University of Public Service, Balázs Orbán highlighted the importance of the state gaining the trust of its citizens and foreign partners, and its task to facilitate the building of relationships in the fields of economy and culture.

In a recent opinion piece published on POLITICO, Alex Soros stated that the OSF is not pulling out of Eastern Europe and will continue to stand by all those who defend democratic rights ‘in the face of autocrats and would-be dictators’.

OSF pulling out of the continent is good news for sovereigntist governments, but it may be too early to rejoice.

Arguably, architecture in Budapest has always been used as a means of political and cultural expression. Thus, restoring the Castle District can be viewed as a way to reclaim Hungary’s lost heritage and reconnect with its historical identity.

Brussels should emerge from this leadership crisis as soon as possible, and from this perspective, next year will be crucial, Balázs Orbán said in reference to the upcoming European parliamentary elections.