HUNGARY | Russia's European Ally?

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Over the past decade, Hungary has become increasingly authoritarian under the leadership of its Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán. Indeed, Orban has barely disguised his dislike of liberal democratic values, openly calling for the creation of an “illiberal democracy”. This stands fundamentally at odds with the basic principles of the West. But while this poses problems for Hungary’s partners in the European Union and NATO, concerns have also grown over Hungary’s close relationship with Russia. All this has led many to ask whether Orban is Moscow’s Trojan horse in Europe, or Putin’s Puppet. So, should we think of Hungary? Is it really the West’s enemy within?
Hello and welcome! My name is James Ker-Lindsay. Here I take an informed look at International Relations with a focus on conflicts, security, and statehood. If you like what you see, please do subscribe. If you want more, including exclusive content and benefits, consider becoming a channel member. Many thanks!
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Hungary has a long and fascinating history. Having become a fully independent state after the First World War, it lost most of its territory under the terms of the Treaty of Trianon. This is still s source of bitterness to this day. However, disputer coming under Soviet Control during the Cold War, and period that saw the 1956 Hungarian Revolution brutally suppressed, Hungary became a member of NATO and there European Union after the end of Communism. However, while it started out well, things changed in 2010, when Viktor Orban became prime minister. Having once been seen as a moderate liberal, he now began to crack down on press freedoms, before restricting civil liberties. He also pursued an overtly nationalist and xenophobic agenda. But while this led to severe criticism, little was done to stop him. However, it has been his relation ship with Russia and with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, that has been the most serious cause for concern. This has seemingly led to a new effort to challenge his authoritarianism. But many believe that the time has come for far more radical steps, including expelling Hungary from the EU and NATO. But could this really happen?
CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction and Titles
00:38 Hungary: A Problem for the EU and NATO
01:58 Hungary’s Location and Population
02:50 A Brief History of Hungary
03:58 Hungary in the EU and NATO
05:03 Hungary under Viktor Orban
08:21 Hungary, Russia and the War in Ukraine
10:33 EU and NATO: Tackling their Hungary Problem?
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FURTHER READING & USEFUL SOURCES
EU Commission Opinion 1997 ec.europa.eu/commission/press...
EU Commission Infringement Proceedings ec.europa.eu/commission/press...
Illiberal Democracy Speech
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Hungarian Government abouthungary.hu
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KEYWORDS
#Hungary #EU #Russia
#InternationalPolitics #CurrentAffairs #InternationalRelations
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1 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 1,8 тыс.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Hungary is widely seen as an increasingly difficult partner in both the EU and NATO? Quite apart from Prime Minister Viktor Orban's "illiberal democracy" at home, it is also undermining Western solidarity over Ukraine. But should we think of him as a Russia's Trojan horse, as one believe? But, even if not, what should be done about Hungary's behaviour? Should expulsion be an option, as some have suggested? And what are the wider consequences of not acting? As always, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.

@Todd.B Год назад

Thanks Prof. very informative, I also like the plug at the end, that was seamlessly put in, well done. There's a fake account posing as you are asking people to join them on whatsapp for financial advice. I reported them but it would carry more weight if you reported them as an imposter.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Thanks Todd - on both counts. I’ve been getting notifications when these spam posts are made and have reported lots of them already. It’s a huge nuisance. But thanks for reporting them as well.

@live_free_or_perish Год назад

I would like to see a "compare and contrast" video about Hungary and Turkey. Both are problematic but which is really a threat to the EU community? Which is more autocratic? Which is a more significant geopolitical actor? How does Orban compare to Erdogan?

@PutXi_Whipped Год назад

Any mechanism for expulsion requires Hungary’s approval. Whoops!

@adnanshahdadzai7922 Год назад

You wrote Putin puppet to Orban. If someone against western Dictatorship or NATO Terrorism is the world you called him puppet. Then what about Volodomir Zelenzy who is openly became Western puppet specially USA why don't you call him Western puppet?.... Be a realistic analyst not a biased.

@seanclark2085 Год назад

Your claim that the mass migration of refugees into the EU was met with "EU solidarity" is laughable . All over the EU this was opposed, the Czechs , the Poles. The Slovakians all refused to take in these migrants, other countries reluctantly and under threat from the Commision accepted minimal numbers .

@ldhorricks Год назад

immigration was the deciding issue in Babis/Zeman being elected in Czech Rep....same for Duda in Poland...but this is only one issue and shouldn't obfuscate the large number of democratic values that Orban eschews or outright wants nothing to do with.

@seanclark2085 Год назад

It’s an issue all over the EU, it has led to Brexit, the election of anti EU governments and a shift to the right across the whole union . The unilateral decision of Merkel to throw open the EUs borders without consultation or democratic has undermined the whole EU project . What is it with German leaders ?

@luishernandezblonde Год назад

There is still something that Orban has not dared to touch on: the topic of Poland. Yes, our country enjoys a special tie with Hungary, so special that there is a friendship day. Despite Orban's closeness to Moscow, he still needs Poland to support him. Unsurprisingly, he has not upset Europe because he needs Poland. So Poland is the only country that may impact Orban.

@TheBreadB Год назад

Didn’t Poland already criticise Hungary on their stance on Ukraine? I honestly see Poland maybe getting rid of Hungary because of Ukraine and Russia

@liamthomas8029 Год назад

There’s a quote from the Polish PM this summer saying, “The paths of Poland and Hungary have diverged.” From that, it seems that Poland now considers Ukraine as its best friend because Poland is the country that provided Ukraine with hundreds of tanks and it’s always asking EU to increase the arms supplies to Ukraine.

@jonseilim4321 Год назад

@@liamthomas8029 Poland also said they will "strongly oppose" the European Commision penalising Hungary just last month, look at their actions not their words. Poland and Hungary need each other more than they need Ukraine, who isn't even in the European Union nor the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

@srcolesl Год назад

The only difference between Poland and Hungary is that Polish government would go to war with Russians and the Hungarians wouldn't.

@luishernandezblonde Год назад

@@liamthomas8029 It's not easy like that. "The paths" may have diverged, but that doesn't mean the friendship will change. Though I still prefer Hungary to take actions against Russian aggression.

@miloradsrdic9418 Год назад

Soone you have lot of Orbans to talk about, Italy, Sweden, two recent. Ppl of European country's are fed up with "liberalism" and ecenomic crisis will speed up the process.

@sointu123 Год назад

Just because Ulf Kristersson isn't a leftist or socialist, doesn't mean he is "Orban-like".

@RobBCactive Год назад

Ah yes, the incompetence and corruption of Vladolf Pootin and all populist leaders are shining examples. Such governments simply don't work, it's why they fail and require to shift into totalitarianism. There's a reason why Ukrainians Googled 'howto molotov cocktail' while Russians Googled for flights out of Russia.

@skar8083 Год назад

The Swedish Democrats and Fratelli d'italia are pro-Ukraine, and the first won't even lead the government.

@mihaivo4113 Год назад

I met , worked, and lived with lots of Hungarians. Very nice people . Never had a single bad experience .

@jjdelft3216 Год назад

Complete opposite of what they acted like the times when I was in Hungary. Very rough, hard and not nice at all.

@peppi1974 Год назад

i v been to hungary they are very cold people like most ex soviets' countries

@zameisie7016 Год назад

@@peppi1974 would a person of colour be welcome as a tourist?

@dashborderless Год назад

I've been there twice, being an American with a Hungarian girlfriend. Both times I felt that Hungarians really like Americans. Even in a land that has a complete distant, unrelatable language to English, I felt like Hungary was a second home. They are incredible forthright people, and maybe that might be what some people might be mistaken it for rudeness. Also my second time I was over was around election time. I could tell there was a huge openness in freedom of expression to criticize the government and Orbán, very similar to how in the US we can criticize our government and President. Even to the fact that in Budapest there could be billboards from the opposing party saying Orbán was a Putin Puppet. I disagree with Fidesz and Orbán on things too, and there absolutely is corruption, but this talk about partial democracy or even the far stretch of saying it's a authoritarian country contradicts this. In an authoritarian country you would not be able to make a billboard saying something like that in the middle of Budapest.

@martinleipold7623 Год назад

@@dashborderless Of course they can't limit freedom of speech and self expression in an obvious way as removing oppositional billboards. But they're doing it bit by bit, trust me. There is no single radio station at this point, that would be broadcasting the oppositional narrative, how about that? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. All the people from the west supporting orban think they're smart, but they have no idea what they're really supporting...

@nicostrauven9813 Год назад

To Prof James, I would like to start with reminding you that the EU project was started out as economic cooperation not a political union. That said, you should try to understand why people vote conservative or euroskeptic. The EU/Brussel has a history of not respecting democratic dissions made by the people's of Europe. In 2005 both France and the Netherlands voted against the EU constitution. In 2007 Ireland voted against the Lisbon treaty Only 2 countries have had a referendum on joining the Euro and those where Denmark and Sweden and both of them said no. Many Europeans do not like the massive centralization of power in Brussels. In 2014 the Swiss people voted with a double majority to limit immigration to the country. Immediately after the vote Brussels started attacking Switzerland for this dission and threatened with sanctions. In 2015 the people's of Europe where not even asked whether they liked the massive influx of people coming from north African countries. There is a Hugh democratic deficit within the EU. When it comes to Hungary, the Hungarian people have had a long time of oppression. You also do not speak about the history before Prime Minister Viktor Orban 2 rise to power in 2010. You don't speak about the massive corruption under Ferenc Gyurcsany from the Socialist party. After that massive protests erupted in 2006. When you speak of Ukraine, First of all Ukraine is not a member of the EU or of NATO. So we are under no obligation to help them. This is not our war. Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party won every election democraticly. The EU should respect that.

@MrCleitus Год назад

He didn't like your comment because he's only looking for comments that push the liberal agenda.

@pslogge Год назад

Very well said and explained.

@thomasjohnson2862 Год назад

Hitler’s wars and invasion of Czechoslovakia and Poland wasn’t the West’s problem, until it was. It’s not a question of being obligated to help defend Ukraine because it’s obviously the only option available

@Komentariram Год назад

Why are you not taking into consideration that he has majority of votes in Hungary, and that most Hungarians support Victor Orban? People of Hungary don't want to sanction Russia and that is democracy too. What part of it is so hard for you to understand? The way EU is acting now is the exact same method that soviet union was using. You either behave like Brussels wants you to, or you are getting punished.

@baseacse Год назад

This ex media boss orban controls the entire media of this country, and gives corrupt deals to his friends. Let your country revert to medieval times. I don’t want a duke. So get out of my democracy club.

@LuisAlvesFerreira Год назад

“Democratic values” is becoming a synonym for one side of the political spectrum to avoid democratic confrontation, respect and free speech. The best way to remove Orban is by vote. Its a decision for Hungarians to take… Outsiders have to respect their choice, like it or not, and shut up… Hungarians have the right to do business with Putin, the Snow White or Big Foot.

@adrianarchie Год назад

true. But it is not "democratic", if it is not leftist.

@johnappleby405 Год назад

Quite

@baseacse Год назад

@@adrianarchie when one media boss controls the media of the nation, you tell me if it’s democratic

@user-ci7vu7eo9w Год назад

west europe is so leftist that make conversatives undemocratic by their views.leftiest parties trying to end democratic values.no free speech.controled media etc

@Aggoenix Год назад

Sure they do, but its a pragmatic (and opportunistic) stance that damages their relations with others. Im still surprised that Hungary has chosen this nationalistic+russia soft stance because it means that for having a little cheaper gas and better relations with Russia, 3/4 of Europe starts to see them very negatively. I just see that they loose more than they gain. Orban is willingly damaging its countrys reputation and relations with majority of EU members, while EU is dozen times wealthier and more important economy than Russia. (Russia has just GDP of Spain, bellow Italy.

@praveenhegde8107 Год назад

Hungary Prime minister was elected by its people to work for Hungary not EU .

@katalinhalom7960 Год назад

YES! He was elected in free, internationally supervised elections!

@marius4iasi Год назад

By that logic, Hungary should leave the EU. Why do they keep on sucking EU funds if they hate the EU. There is literally no one forcing them to stay in the EU. There will be no tanks in Budapest of they leave, like they had in 1956 when the soviets invaded because they tried to leave the Warsaw pact.

@katalinhalom7960 Год назад

@@marius4iasi Hungary transfers the yearly sum of 1.500.000.000 into the EU budget, but doesn't get a penny in return. Check your facts before talking nonsense.

@josefnagy1697 5 дней назад

@@katalinhalom7960yes but it doesn’t deserve EU money. If you don’t like this, simply leave the EU. Like the UK did.

@mathiasgrenacs3680 Год назад

rarely noticed fact : Orban's Foreign and Economy Affairs Minister Peter Szijarto was awarded, december 30 2021, by Lavrov the "Medal for Friendship". He didn't send it back...

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Very good point! He is one of the prominent pro-Russians Orban re-appointed after winning the election.

@ihateidiots3880 Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay and the best FM in all of Europe. Unlike Nazi Baerbock and Lizz Truss who has the IQ of a frootfly.

@TrackballClick Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay now there are pro Europe and pro Anglo-saxon interest. It's not rocket science to observe anyone's positions, despite the ideaological warrior's environment in EU. Btw. UK is not in EU anymore.

@tszirmay Год назад

Other recipients of the medal : Jacques Rogge , Ban Ki-Moon, Adrienne Clarkson and Rex Tillerson , among many others .

@xerxen100 Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay Orban always good to monitoring the Hungarian population wishes. He is not, nor his foreign affairs minister are pro russian, but the Hun nation became anti American/anglo szaxon.

@Reid-xw2tb Год назад

Is the media in Europe and nato countries free?

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

It is a complex question. On the whole, I would say yes. But they engage in a lot of self-censorship. This may be because their owners are close to the government, or they rely on government advertising. It is not simple to answer. But ultimately, I believe that the media is far more free than in most parts of the world.

@Cassp0nk Год назад

Perhaps some of these eastern states are right to push back on some of the foolish migration rules from a different century, and some of the wokeism of European politics.

@MrCleitus Год назад

Don't expect liberals to ever admit that, the US is in a downward spiral with these ideas.

@yee2631 Год назад

Could you define "wokeism"?

@adrianarchie Год назад

@@yee2631 google new discourses

@AluanHaddad Год назад

@@yee2631 you obviously didn't read very far or very clearly at newdiscourses. Whether you agree or disagree, Lindsay goes into great detail. These terms don't mean what you think they mean and that's a significant part of the point. Wokeness is deeply Orwellian.

@Wickedtingzz Год назад

@@yee2631 not normal . Done

@jimmysparks315 Год назад

EU values... what a joke.

@frankszanto Год назад

As your introduction showed, Hungary has many reasons to be aggrieved by the actions of the western part of the EU-particularly France. Hungary had great hopes for greater prosperity when they joined the EU, but nearly 3 decades later, wages and living standards in Hungary are still well below the western part of the EU. They have been treated more like a colony than an equal partner. And while the rich west can afford to accommodate millions of migrants from the middle east etc, Hungary cannot. So is it a surprise that when the rich western countries continue to insult Orban (literally), he would look for partners who promise help? Like plenty of gas? Germany would still be buying gas from Russia and paying billions of dollars for it, supporting the Russian war effort, if this option had not been taken away. Orban was quite right to compare the EU to the Soviet Union. It treats its satellites in the same way.

@DerDop Год назад

1) "Hungary had great hopes for greater prosperity when they joined the EU, but nearly 3 decades later, wages and living standards in Hungary are still well below the western part of the EU"- and since when is that westerners' fault? and why are you comparing yourselves with the Western countries when you should compare yourself with Hungary pre-EU? 2)"And while the rich west can afford to accommodate millions of migrants from the middle east etc, Hungary cannot." Not a single soul wanted to immigrate to Hungary. 3) "They have been treated more like a colony than an equal partner." care to elaborate?

@ldhorricks Год назад

Interesting how Czechs,Slovaks, Poles and people of the Baltic nations don't share that same resentment and victim mentality. I have spent a lot of time in Hungary over the past 30 years of living in Central Europe (Prague). And I have to say that Hungary is one of the most inward looking, xenophic countries I have spent time in. I have a lot of Hungarian friends both in HU and abroad that agree with my observations.

@frankszanto Год назад

@@DerDop 1) You don't seem to understand how a colony works. When Hungary privatised all its state owned companies (and all companies were state owned under communism), Germany etc was able to buy up all the profitable assets. A case in point is the sugar industry. Hungary is largely agricultural, but had factories to process raw materials. Western countries bought up all the processing plants, then shut them down. So Hungary now exports raw sugar beet to west, where it is processed, and then buys back the processed product, paid for in Euros. Hungary now has many automotive manufacturing plants, but these are all owned by Germany etc. Hungary provides low payed workers. If Hungarian wages rose to the level of Germany, all these plants would close. So by and large, Hungary has lost technology. 2) How can you possibly know that. Back in the 1980s, there were quite a few men from Arabic countries like Iraq which had good relations with the communist block living in Hungary because they could get visas there, and could do well on the black market. I saw this myself. 3) See 1).

@DerDop Год назад

@@frankszanto Back in the 80”s, and now we”re in 2022. Orban has such a primitive propaganda working for primitive people, regardless of their nationality .

@a.k.7818 Год назад

@@DerDop You are 100% right sir! Also one big problem is that the dual citizenship... for example: Ethnic hungarians who live in Romania have the right to vote in the hungarian elections. What kind of anomaly is this? He has like 1 million voters from abroad...thats a nonsense for us, who want to get rid of him.

@raytracy5906 Год назад

Well, one could argue, for example, that blowing up pipelines would be one awkward way to express those "shared values", but luckily no one accuses Hungary with committing such a crime (yet). Nor would anyone from Hungary be giving out lectures on that basis. Neutrality: Just like resisting pressure from Blair/Thatcher to invade Serbia in the 90's (source: Vucic), yeah , looks like Hungary is determined to stay out of the current feeding frenzy too. They joined NATO as a defensive alliance and they stick to that. Besides, unlike the US/UK, their economy is not so dependent on the arms industry, so go figure! "authoritarian, undemocratic": They have proportional representation, furthermore, key Hungarian domestic and foreign policy is shaped by National consultations, ensuring continuous, direct input from the electorate. (I bet they're still jealous of the Swiss though! ;) Now compare it to the EU or any other member states. Some of them about to give up their traditional non-aligned status that guaranteed peace in their region for decades, without bothering with a referendum. I wonder why... NGO's: Regulating Unelected, yet politically very active organizations supported by undisclosed entities with infinitely deep pockets seems like a good idea when it comes to safeguarding actual democracy (you know, the one decided by votes) "Putin's puppet": Condemning the invasion while still maintaining diplomatic ties with a nearby nuclear superpower is a valid and reasonable strategy for a small nation like Hungary, I'd have thought. Not to mention, joining the chorus of banning Tsaikovsky or Tolstoy would be just nebulous. Support for Ukraine: Hungary accomodated more than a million Ukrainian refugees. Per capita that's more than any other country, although a lot of them moved on tbf. Now please tell us how many did we help here in the UK? 5000? - just guessing. "shared values": It's such a vague term and what's worse the meaning is continuously shifting. Refugee used to mean people from a war thorn NEIGHBOURING country, parents in the free World used to have a say what ideology their children are indoctrinated to at school, btw, it's hard to keep up, but is it still ok to eat beef here? ...or it is all bugs now? Rule of law/freedom of press: Well, judicial independence could be better, sure, just like in many other EU countries, but hey! at least they can say that in Hungary Julian Assange's persecution would've been impossible. I'm sure that you, a "professor", I assume from the UK (of all places) would appreciate that. As a matter of historical fact: Orban, for all his faults, was the first politician in Eastern Europe demanding the Soviet army to vacate his country at a time when it wasn't possible to do so without a significant risk to his life. His country was aspiring to join the truly "Free World" though, not what it appears to be morphing into nowadays. Questioning his loyalty to Europe and Nato is disingenuous and laughable. Does that mean that he should disrespect and insult a great nation and its leader? No. Among the so called "shared values" there used to be one called: "Diplomacy". Seems someone erased it from our dictionary. Our loss.

@dog2737 Год назад

None of our conservative countries like Serbia or Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria Bosnis Albania ect... wants to join EU for the ,,values'' and all other individual progressive rights. We just want development and money and investments and at first we do tolerate some progressivnes for this sweet money but at some point thoes ,,values'' afect negatively our culture and our own belives and traditions that it questions the worth of this wealth but for sake of our soules and originality

@petremihneaSMP Год назад

Who are you to speak on Romania's behalf?

@marius4iasi Год назад

I feel Romania is the least conservative of the bunch. Not quite as progressive as the west, but we had a referendum over stating marriage is between a man and a woman and it failed hilariously. Also there is strong support for abortion rights, mainly because of the drama Romanian women suffered last century when the communists made abortion ilegal. Tens of thousands of Romanian women died because of it. It's not a progressive country, but I feel people are more critical of the conservative institutions, including the church.

@dog2737 Год назад

@@marius4iasi truth i was bad example in my comment but others definetly fit the tipe i know im from such society

@kumi882 Год назад

I believe Orban just wants good relations from both sides (EU,NATO, Russia). And I don't think Hungary is Putin's puppet, OR going against the EU and NATO. Hungary has always had problems with Ukraine. Also, Orban was the one who got Hungary to join NATO

@dreambim2446 Год назад

Orban didn't let Finland and Sweden join NATO yet. He's a huge problem... Same goes for Turkey - the fckn real problem.

@jtgd Год назад

Can’t join an alliance and simultaneously undermine it.

@mpriymak Год назад

@@jtgd Just because he doesn't simply do what he is told, and instead wishes to extract more concessions for his country, doesn't mean that he is "undermining" the alliance

@seeadler3233 Год назад

Joining NATO means supporting NATO . let Orban and Hungary join Russia ---Orban is Putin`s lacky .

@MrQ454 Год назад

@@jtgd you just look at Hungary doing that in EU and NATO

@peter.a.langan5872 Год назад

In my view Victor Orban is demonstrably the only EU leader actually looking out for his people by doing what’s best for them. The EU collective leadership lost the plot over Ukraine, so why should Hungary follow fools off the cliff? The current problems the EU is facing are all self inflicted by sanctioning Russia. QED Hungary seems to be the only country following a sensible course in the face of a complete lack of forethought on the part of the EU. You can only call out Hungary if their choice of action was a) stupid or b) followed for no good reason ….just to be troublesome to the others for instance. Hungary’s choices are entirely logical and merely emphasise how poor the choices of the others were. I think it is the EU that needs to take a good look at itself.

@SuzannaKiraly Год назад

Well said.

@francoking3641 Год назад

Why the need for so much 'consensus'..? What happened to a world where differing views might be tolerated? I worry about 'clubs', where non-conforming views are not accommodated.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

It is not about dissenting views. The EU has always been about debates between left and right. That's why it is the way it is. It provides a free market for businesses, but also provides some of the worker protections in the world. The difference is that the left and right have tended to agree on some basic values. This is the framework for civilised political debate. Orban is trying to tear in down. This is the issue.

@francoking3641 Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay Thankyou for the reply, James. Keep up the great work, on this channel.

@craigriseley3149 Год назад

I moved to Hungary from the UK 4 years ago and I have to say that I love it. I would much rather live here then move back to the UK. I love that in Hungary they are holding on to there culture and put the Hungarian people first not like the UK where at every turn they try to destroy the culture. Every bit of media I see is saying how bad Hungary is and how awful or Orban is but if you actually take a trip outside of Budapest then you will be shocked at how much people here do not like the other party and also dotn trust the other party as last time they was in government they nearly destroyed the country

@RudolfStern3399 Год назад

Its nice to find a brit who can see his government sold their country. I admire the British people but sadly they don’t exist anymore

@laszloboda8540 Год назад

That's great. Finally, someone who knows what they're talking about speaks up.

@andrewzannetos7010 Год назад

I first went to Hungary in the 60's and beyond lovely country.

@Mrac-zz8vh Год назад

You are probably one of the very few western Europeans in this comment section who has a clue about the topic.

@jtgd Год назад

@@RudolfStern3399 boy you are delusional

@charliebridges3584 Год назад

I disagree with Orbán on many aspects of his policies but on the question of the Ukraine war, he is absolutely correct. When Prof. Ker-Lindsay talks about international solidarity over Ukraine, to whom is he referring? To the many thousands of Irish people, for example, who cannot afford to pay rent or even think of buying a home in Dublin, while the country is forced to facilitate the largest numbers of refugees in its history? Is he referring to the many hundreds of thousands of people across Europe who cannot meet the cost of living any more and, as a consequence, are living homeless or in sheds? The thing about Ker-Lindsay and his ilk is that he doesn't give a fiddlers about people who work in everyday jobs and who are drastically impacted by EU and national government policies over the Ukraine-Russia conflict. In that sense, they are actually quite like both sides in the conflict. Zelenskij, who doesn't care how many dead Ukrainian soldiers and civilians it will take to win back Donbass and Crimea, or Putin, who has already overseen the deaths of 60 thousand Russian troops in an invasion that he started and doesn't seem a little bit fazed by that gigantic cock-up.

@johanneshirt8633 Год назад

the term illiberal democracy sounds close to Chinas definition of their form of ""democracy"".

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Thanks. Great point. "We have democracy, except that it omits key elements of democracy that we don't like." (And said without any irony.)

@mistercuriousmind Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay I almost feel like many of us even experts are using the word liberal quite badly. I notice that most cases people use the liberal term when we talk about progressive values (LGBT, women rights, abortion etc), whereas liberal really means the emphasis on the individual over the society. It may be easier to imagine this in XY 2D coordinate system, where on the right side of the X axis is progressive and on the left side conservative. On the Y axis on the top side liberal and on the bottoms side social(ist). I think "illiberal democracy" just simply means "ultraconservative authoritarianism".

@antisnowflake8618 Год назад

Democracy was never "liberal" ..there is only one kind of democracy

@boomerix Год назад

Well one of Orbans role model is Singapore, which could be called a successful "illiberal" democracy.

@TheSwedishHistorian Год назад

depends, it is possible to have true democracy like japan without lgbt rights and the like

@praveenhegde8107 Год назад

Hungary Prime minister Orban was elected by its people to work for Hungary not EU .

@laszlozoltan5021 Год назад

it is never wise to support a wrongful actor as one never knows when one will become the next victim

@jayhoughton4174 Год назад

So leave the EU then if you disagree with it

@j.langer5949 Год назад

@@laszlozoltan5021 What victims? What are you writing about? These vague hyperboles are utterly stupid.

@traveler263 Год назад

i'm not sure if you're a troll or just being ignorant, talking about Poland and Hungary as "problematic" but the only big difference for these two countries is the fact that they refused to take in unregulated migrants from africa and the middle east in order to protect their people. as you can see from the growing numbers of problems in the west associated with this bad decision, they seem to have made the right choice, and I find propaganda against their image due to their choice to protect their culture and sovereignty quite distasteful

@viktornovomestsky3999 Год назад

Well, we, the Czech republic and Slovakia, have done the same in terms of rejecting the migrant quotas, we did not take one single refugee since then (exclude Ukrainians, Vietnamese, Russians, Belarussians and so on..), though we do not have one single issue with the EU... So it's the problem of the polish and hungarian government, for not respecting the rules of law and so much more...

@traveler263 Год назад

@@viktornovomestsky3999 could it be that the work that Hungary and Poland put in being the more vocal members of the Visegrad group today, helps Czech and Slovakia in better balancing between protecting their national identity and also their image in Brussels ?

@chasx7062 Год назад

On the immigrant and refugees issue, the UK is anti immigrant too, and if not BREXIT, would the UK be expelled???

@Ned-the-Red Год назад

Professor, it would be interesting I feel to see a breakdown of 'Atlanticism' in Europe, especially on how it cooperates and contrasts against Europeanism. I believe a reflection of this is could be the sentiment I've seen between eastern and western Europeans on security matters, seeing the United States or even the UK as a more reliable partner, over a collective European defense. edit- [spelling/grammar]

@mihailsauzins7495 Год назад

Yes

@EricZucchini Год назад

I've always felt that a big part of this was that of the main two European leaders, Germany was deeply unreliable in security matters and the other one was France. But now that Germany has had a well deserved wake up call we could see things changing, especially if Macron manages to get his way in French politics (although feels a bit unlikely as much as I like the fella).

@noureddine3648 Год назад

to put it simply it's because "europeanism" is just another way of saying french style "strategic autonomy" and one of it's pillars is the EU-Russia rapprochement " a europe from lisbon to vladivostock like macron said" which is a non starter for a lot of eu member states even before the 2022 invasion , so it's not a coincidence that u don't hear too much about "strategic autonomy" after russia showed it's ugly face like never before , as long as "europeanism" is tied with upgrading relations with russia and downgrading relations with america no one will show enthusiasm if not the opposite( sweden and finland joining NATO)

@Rainstorm121 Год назад

If Viktor's policies and decisions is to tackle the problems faced by his country or protecting his own ordinary Hungarians, their culture, and values, then who I am to condemn him? I used to have this conventional perspective that there are two groups on this planet: The Autocracy (i.e., Russia, China, N/Korea whom are seen as the bad guys) vs Democracy (i.e., the West whom are painted as the good guys). Today I changed my perspective for many historical events in the past.

@katalinhalom7960 Год назад

Wise words! Thank you!

@Drunken_Master Год назад

If his policies "for the good of Hungarians" contradict the EU policies maybe Hungary should leave the union. But no, money from the EU funds is soooo sweet.

@sandorbenedek3856 Год назад

this "professor" calls Orban's system autocratic which is true (75% of what the prof says is a lie btw). but if it is autocratic then what the EU is. that is the real question! the EU is even worse. the EU is a puppet bureaucracy of the US elite. under the surface it does not represent democratic values, nor social values, nor transparency, nor freedom, nor the interest of Europe, and especially does not represent the interest of the small nation states for example Hungary. it is a totalitarian system (the next level of communism) where they even tell you what to think about certain topics: woman/family, lgbtwww, green energy, what is good or bad, demonic Russia, totally democratic Ukraine (lol). and there is only one opinion that is acceptable. the corrupt EU bureaucrats in their bubble go against reality so they have no problem serving the interests of the US elit and their giga corporations. 2 + 2 = 5. after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Hungary automatically transferred under the influence of the western countries, under Germany mostly. it was not a choice, Hungary and other small nations states cannot be independent of the bigger ones. so they are not sovereign nations. Orban tries to balance the country between the american influence and the Russian empire to **keep the country's relative independence** and to make money for his oligarchs. if it were up to the EU, Hungary would not have Russian gas by now because of the sanctions, and the country would have collapsed withing months. and with this Germany too because German car and military companies have huge factories here that could not operate. basically the Germany companies maintain Hungary, **and both is maintained by Russian energy**. so everything what Orban does, he considers three main factors: 1, to keep Hungarians relatively satisfied so he can stay in power and sell the resources of the country to German, Korean, Chinese corporations. 2, to feed his oligarchs. 3, to keep the flow of Russian energy so Germany and other US puppet nations can have their pretty sanctions while their companies keep using Russian energy in Hungary and generate profit. what you see in western media it is just a stage play, in reality everything is much more intertwined.

@xerxen100 Год назад

@@Drunken_Master No, ther problem is China dont allow us to leave it!

@Mrac-zz8vh Год назад

@@Drunken_Master When EU policies contradict basic interests of some member states..like actual access to energy and keeping their culture... Than the problem is not small.

@justasklimas9572 Год назад

I believe one of the reasons behind the founding of the EU was to bring different countries, ones which had been going to war fairly frequently until that point, together. Thus preventing future conflict. And it seems to have worked quite well, as EU countries have become mostly friendly towards each other and war between them is now unthinkable. In this sense, kicking Hungary out would be going against the purpose of the EU, as it would likely drift further away, whereas if it stays there is hope it will move closer to other EU countries. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that kicking it out is a bad idea, perhaps the other arguments outweigh this one. But it is something to keep in mind.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Thanks as always! I think this is exactly the argument that many senior figures in the EU would use. It is better to try to work with countries like Hungary than throw them out and see things get worse. I can certainly see the case for this. But we must also ask how far can countries like Hungary take things. Orban has been bent every rule and value of the EU to breaking point. It's certainly an important debate and I fully accept that there are very different views on how to address this problem.

@celtspeaksgoth7251 Год назад

That is the Disney View of the European project, which has never ever kept the peace, it fact it agitates and triggered the Yugoslav bloodbath, the trouble in Crimea and was behind the Kyiv/Kiev coup in 2014, also the attempted Istanbul coup in 2016 and trying to rekindle the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Orban saved Europe (for a while at least) in 2015 with the 100 mile long barrier it erected along the Serbian border but Germany & Sweden are now destabilised, hampered by social policies which only ever worked while the Berlin Wall stayed up. The presenter is a naive embarrassment. Overgrown, blinkered ex-student. Ivory tower comes to mind. Libellous.

@fra604 Год назад

@@celtspeaksgoth7251 "Orban saved Europe"

@Kalimdor199Menegroth Год назад

@@fra604 He actually did. Same with all the countries at the forefront of the invasion in 2014. And we shall honor him for eternity as a hero.

@good2goskee Год назад

@@celtspeaksgoth7251 I feel the presenter is also cherry-picking what EU rules are necessary to adhere to to be a "good partner" and rules he omits which several EU countries are in violation of. The reality is the Hungarian leader is for his Hungarian family first and other considerations are important, but they do not supercede the priority. The presenter needs to bring this macro concept down to the family unit. A responsible father takes care of his family first and then looks to see if he can help his neighbour.

@alfreddaniels3817 Год назад

I thought Orban was Europacritical long before Putin came into focus.

@JanTheHun42 Год назад

No, that's not really the case. In opposition he always played the role of a pro-EU, democratic leader. He made a 180 degree turn on that - as on practically everything else by the way.

@mrroyale5688 Год назад

When the Hungarians voted on EU membership, they were not told that LGBTQ rights would be taught to kindergarten children.

@lilacer6841 Год назад

Hungary is a sovereign country

@davidovicc Год назад

Hungary for hungerians why is that bad?

@roggflogger Год назад

Orban's hovercraft is full of eels.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

I think that may have been lost in translation. But it sounds great, nevertheless. 😀

@Spacemongerr Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay It is a reference to the Monty Python sketch "Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook" :)

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

@@Spacemongerr Haha! Missed that one. I’m clearly a rubbish Brit. 😂

@matthewwhitton5720 Год назад

I’d beg to differ. The concept of ‘ multilateralism ‘, if it’s either known at all to the average citizen, is very likely to reject, and, have done so, the sovereignty-stripping maw once it’s implications are explained to them. From Britains decades - long oppression of 6 County Irish nationalists, Spains brutal pulverization of Catalonias peaceful separatism, to the EUs open tolerance of Kievs , Bandera - inspired crusade against ethnic Russians in the Donbas ,..the concept flails away in exhausted opposition to the sentiments of the common citizenry.

@stephenbertus5671 Год назад

This video is proof positive that in your biased world it is a crime to love ones own country.

@antwainebarkley9765 Год назад

First this is a leader who have listened to his people.... You need to get your head checked

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

He hasn’t ‘listened to his people.’ That’s the whole point. He has made his people listen to him by shutting off other sources of information. But if you think that’s great, then go ahead and admire him.

@Klopp2543 Год назад

Will the current predicament of Hungary be the same if Russia didn't invade Ukraine? Poland seems ok in the EU, NATO and the west book.

@folofus4815 Год назад

Poland was described by the Biden administration as a “dictatorship.” The only reason they’re tolerating Poland right now is because of Polands dislike of Russia and support of Ukrainiane being more important to the west at the moment.

@ogamaniuk Год назад

It started earlier. The war just demonstrated who is who.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Great question. But, as others have pointed out, the war has happened and Poland took the right side.

@FlamingBasketballClub Год назад

America started a proxy war with Russia. Why do you still believe Russia invaded Ukraine?

@Klopp2543 Год назад

@@ogamaniuk what started earlier? For both or only for one or the other?

@LordLemoncake Год назад

Sorry guys, but if the EU cant handle a member with different oponion than the majority then the EU is basically incompetent or, in the worst case, it intentionally wants to create conflict between the members. Putting bureaucratic and economic pressure on Hungary for political reasons just makes it more clear the intentions of the EU, the fact that the EU would force Hungary to act against its own interest, for example in the question of the migration or energy policies, that is a very good sign that the EU is willing to use force instead of diplomacy to solve conflict amongst the members, but i am sure you know just as i do that the majority of the EU has left wing governments so every right wing government is punished economically in the hope of passively changing their governments and making it hard to stay right wing. The problem is hat when the EU decided to sanction itself to hell, the countries with weak economy all voted for right wing governments because the globalist left do not help them to solve any problem. So maybe, just maybe, it is not Hungary who is the problem in the EU, the problem is that the EU is following an american globalist interest instead of its own.

@lauroreyes4602 Год назад

thank you for teaching the profesor

@SuzannaKiraly Год назад

Exactly. I think that certain things should be left to the member countries to decide, just as in the USA certain things are left to the states to decide.

@sasazapadnik9335 Год назад

@@lauroreyes4602 professor isnt always right

@fooooooooooooooo Год назад

As long as there are Hungary and Poland there is still a chance for Europe to rise above liberal politics that are wrecking economies and cultural heritage of EU members turning them into this amalgamated hybrid leftist sycophants for NATO and ledt wing lobbyists. We can respect each other and cooperate without giving up our sovereignty to the people who would gladly see us dispossessed of our freedoms European peoples have fought so long and so strenuously to achieve. Greetings to all Europeans that don't support brotherly wars between Russia and Ukraine and who are deeply disgusted at the unwillingness of the NATO backed Ukraine to conclude peace talks. Say no to non-European immigration. Say no to globalist corporate agenda. Hungary and Poland got it right

@katalinhalom7960 Год назад

True words!

@albertl2423 Год назад

I’ve been watching your videos for some time now because of their impartiality and informative nature. However, this one is unquestionably partial and exaggerating. I am not Hungarian nor do I “favor” Russian foreign policy in any way. Orban appears to be very ethnocentric and plays European powers to cater to his interests in maintaining power, but he is not a “Nazi” or guilty of anything outside of public opinion. Particularly that of the left. Just my objective opinion on this one

@lisaisabella2339 Год назад

GOD BLESS THE HUNGARIAN PM! EUROPE SHOULD HAVE< MORE LIKE HIM! THEN,WON'T BE ANY SANCTION, PEOPLE WON'T FREEZE TO DEATH!!! BRAVO HUNGARY!!!

@katalinhalom7960 Год назад

I absolutely agree!

@controltestsubject7372 Год назад

What response to russias crimes would you advise in place of sanctions?

@GS-by7ci Год назад

I he serving Russia's interests or his People's!??! While the rest of Europe is happy to watch it's poor due this winter, he wants to uplift his

@EdMcF1 Год назад

Can you give specifics of what he has done to attack democratic freedoms in Hungary? I understand that there is an issue over 're-districting' (ahem) but how does any of this differ from a random US Congressional District? (i.e. aren't they all at it?).

@Andre-by4su Год назад

They control 99% of the media, constantly bombarding people with state-sponsored propaganda everywhere, and opposition voices basically cannot be hard in rural areas among the older and uneducated population. Just to mention the most significant things, but the list is far too long.

@ShubhamMishrabro Год назад

One is not following common rules which eu memebers have to follow due to being liberal he doesn't wants to follow some of the rules which i can understand. Hungary should leave eu if they don't match with each other. Maybe in future

@ruzzsverion2728 Год назад

Liberals simply dont want anyone to question their liberal world order.

@ruzzsverion2728 Год назад

@@ShubhamMishrabro maby we need to change those values.

@princecommander5757 Год назад

Changed laws so he could more easily replace judiciary judges he did not like

@bettinanemes8572 Год назад

Hello to All! I am Hungarian and I would like to add that unfortunately this video is biased. It is based on news from Western media which exactly want to paint a picture like this about Hungary. The story is more grey than black and white.

@laszlozoltan5021 Год назад

....and "non-western" media is to be trusted ?

@jonathangammond3019 Год назад

It may be grey when you are inside Hungary but the view from outside is black and white. Orban is doing a great disservice to his country internationally through his behaviour.

@ldhorricks Год назад

perhaps you could expand on this...because I have spent years on and off working in Hungary...I have many Hungarian friends living in HU and abroad...most of them well educated and well travelled. They don't see any "grey" in Orbans machinations...they are deeply opposed to what Orban is doing to their country.

Год назад

Igen inkább az M1 meg az RT azok a legjobbak /s

@garydegeus Год назад

I see little evil in what the prof has related of Hungary's and Orban's position. Liberal Democracy seems a euphemism for elite EU control that does not respect actual democratic views. Good for Orban to chart their own course. This is called leadership.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Well, let me correct you then. Liberal democracy is a system built on general respect for other citizens and other viewpoints that nevertheless adhere to a political system of free and fair elections and the protection of human and civil rights.

@Vordigon1 Год назад

Please take a look at Bulgaria as well, for we are just like Hungary, but simply always get overlooked

@vittoriosecreto6346 Год назад

Enemy? The only adult in the room rather.

@steppenwolf5956 Год назад

Why shouldn't a sovereign country like hungary pursue its own interests? why should hungary subordinate its national interests to european interests? Orban is elected to serve his country and not European interests. From my point of view Hungary ist doing right for Hungarian interests. And please don't forget Orban is elected and the EU has to respects of the hungarian voters. That is democracy it is not democratic when the voters vote in way the EU does not want.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

I’m not sure you understand how EU membership works.

@Kalimdor199Menegroth Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay EU membership works the same way for everyone. If the EU is working for some members, against other members, then it is only right for the members which are actively persecuted such as Hungary and Poland, to fight back and protect their values and interests just as much as anyone else. Anyway, the real problem here aren't values, or whatever the fuck those are (most of which are arbitrary ones, imposed by the establishment elite at Bruxelles), the problem is that the ruling parties in Hungary and Poland are anti-establishment and do no subscribe to the main pro-establishment political families at Bruxelles. They actively seek to reform the EU in a manner that it benefits its members, rather than its members benefiting the union exclusively.

@ricardocontreras94 Год назад

bro can you do a follow up on armenia and azerbaijan. I saw an article that a peace treaty will be signed by years end.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Thanks. I’ll certainly do a follow up when something significant develops.

@bulcsuvezer9378 Год назад

This propagandist totally does not understand Hungarian politics! He only projects his own (and of course the Western mainstream media) imaginations onto Hungary. First of all, the Hungarian-Ukrainian relationship did not deteriorate because of Hungary! There was good relations between the two countries until the Ukrainians passed laws that trampled on the human rights of national minorities! (Hungary was the main supporter of Ukraine's visafree travel to the EU. Then, when Ukraine did get it, discriminatory laws were passed. Only then did relations between the two countries deteriorate. (Nothing to do with Russia) 2. Hungary does not have a closer relationship with Russia than other European countries have !!! (that is the game of Western media propaganda) It was not Hungary that made big deals with the Russians, but the big countries in the West! 3. Hungary has so far helped Ukraine in an extraordinary way, there !! So far we have been delivering aid to them: gas, fuel, electricity, medicine, food, etc ... all the time! (we even helped Ukraine before the war, but since the outbreak of the war, the largest humanitarian aid in Hungary's history has been in progress !!

@JordiVilanova Год назад

Have only now viewed this episode. Thanks for the summary of the situation regarding Hungary. With regards to your epilogue on the attitude of the EU and NATO and defending their (our) values, there is of course the other side of the coin: geostrategy. Expelling Hungary would mean two allies of Putin/Russian Empire (re)building in our midst: Hungary itself, and it's neighbour, Serbia, and all the conflict that has arisen there precisely with the EU and NATO, even though relations with the latter have gradually, though uneasily, slowly improved.

@iippo06 Год назад

The only European leader who doesn't want to replace Ethnic Europeans. God bless him.

@SuzannaKiraly Год назад

Yeah. I'm surprised actually that more European leaders don't care about this.

@arijao92 Год назад

European leaders dont represent europeans, they represent international finance and have created a political cartel that doesn't allow dissenting opinions of their version of ''democracy'', I wish my country had a leader like Orban who doesn't want to sell his country to the highest bidder and accept millions of migrants from outside of Europe to his country, neoliberalism is a completely new thing barely 100 years old and Hungary is not at all at odds with the basic principles of what the traditional west stood for, its disgusting to see EU try to take away national sovereignity by coercion and threats and people like you cheering for it

@ogamaniuk Год назад

Professor, I think now you have to cover Poland too after saying that now everything is perfect with their democracy)

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Not sure I said that!? And I certainly didn’t mean to if that’s how my comments are being understood. But I certainly hope to take a look at Poland too.

@ogamaniuk Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay yeah there's was a little impression. I, as a Ukrainian see Poland as one of the biggest friends, that's why I'm curious.

@asiimwesimon268 Год назад

He's not an enemy. He's got an independent mind and cares more for his people

@laszlozoltan5021 Год назад

LOL! just like trump does for americans (and look how many he threw under the bus when they spoke out against wrongs he expected to get away with)

@masterblaster848 Год назад

So proud that there is independent nation such as Hungary.

@celtspeaksgoth7251 Год назад

Well said. If Brussels is annoyed then Orban must be doing somethign right.

@ulfpe Год назад

Not independent vs the deep pocketed political leaders of Hungary. Its fine you can leave the EU its not the warsaw pact.

@TurfSurf Год назад

So independent that it takes billions of money from the EU every year. 😂

@TurfSurf Год назад

@@SuzannaKiraly EU funding money to the member states is not the same as IMF loans. It’s free money like a grant not a loan with interest. Just like in the US, each state gets the free federal funding for all kinds of projects.

@xerxen100 Год назад

@@TurfSurf EU funding money isnt free money XD Its a compensation...

@Riggsatrandom Год назад

Expelling Hungary would be shortsighted and not the right way as there will be life after Orban. But western unity over Ukraine will presumably falter beyond just Hungary shortly the coming winter. And you could criticise EU for also making themselves more dependent on Russia after the annexation of Crimea when it comes to energy in particular.

@henrybn14ar Год назад

A lot of Hungarians would no doubt welcome expulsion from the EU

@prometheusjackson8787 Год назад

It's funny they talk about expulsion as the EU is collapsing

@zepwafels Год назад

@@henrybn14ar 80%+ of hungarians want to stay in the EU

@andrasnemeth6851 Год назад

@@henrybn14ar Orbán mentioned this a long time ago."There is life outside the EU" But he is afraid of it. He was literally terrified. Because the majority of Hungarians are pro-EU.Immediate fall...

@JanTheHun42 Год назад

@@prometheusjackson8787 Funny thing: we are being told the "West" is collapsing for about seven decades now. There was even a joke about it back in the '80s: "Bloody capitalism is marching toward a cliff - but we are always one step ahead of them!"

@n2201 Год назад

Hungary does not have the luxury of giving up Russian Oil and Gas. Hungary needs to serve its people first

@albacan Год назад

From where I sit, Hungarians voted for their Government and support its actions. Labels don't matter to citizens; they just want shelter, education, work, food and water. All power to them.

@MrQ454 Год назад

Hitler was also voted if don't know...

@albacan Год назад

@@MrQ454 I did, and don't trust democracy but I'm sure you agree with me that the masses believe my posts to be correct

@Galliver3471 Год назад

Orban is elected by the majority of his people who do not support Ultraliberal policies of the EU. Which part of this democratic process does not the EU approve of? Most Europeans, albeit quietly, do not support the covert cultural and religious transformation of Europe led by the European technocrats in Brussels under a dictate from Washington..

@ihavenojawandimustscream4681 Год назад

Do not support? When is the last time you see church service being full in Europe?

@samv2777 Год назад

Isn’t it democracy can have different views

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Democracy is certainly about having different views. But it is built on the principle that people deserve to be treated equally and fairly and that the rules of the system will be respected. Orban has been dismantling democracy by restricting the media and exercising growing control over all parts of society. This is the problem.

@samv2777 Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay thank you for your time to reply. I am not here to defend Hungary’s political alignments however I am thinking whether the word of democracy more of an idealistic status often used to suppress the view of the majority. There are many shades of grey (democracy) around the world. If Hungary joining EU that means they should comply with the policies. Importantly when structure formed under EU collective governance that can lead to smaller nation’s aspirations and their beliefs likely to be compromised or become acceptable. Uninterrupted and long term strategies are vital, that will perhaps help and strengthen EU’s ambitious effort. It is not helpful to pin point a single nation within, there will be various issues will weather and challenge such unity within EU nations, sometimes progressive approach may bring such values and expectation that will unite them together.

@ogamaniuk Год назад

It's clear about Orban. But how about the people of Hungary? Do they support his vision? How strong is the support? I know the last poll numbers but I'm not sure how much it correlates with Orban himself.

@bolsa3136 Год назад

Outside of big cities its massive...

@LeventeCzelnai Год назад

@@bolsa3136 the thing is even in big cities. he got more than two thirds of the votes, more than in 2010.

@thorthewolf8801 Год назад

@@bolsa3136 where people are most susceptible to propaganda

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Thanks Oleksandr. Great question. It is obviously hard to tell. He has captured the state so effectively and extensively it is hard to get a sense of what people really think and what they would think if he didn't control the messaging. This is the real problem. On a separate note, I also wanted to say a huge welcome to the channel. I really appreciate your support. Thank you.

@mazengomazengo9810 Год назад

Professor James Hungary l fall short in terms knowledge about Int,l relations.But l know one thing that is state sovereign and people's power, that l know though not so much.My comment is that a leader who is chosen by people enters some sort of contractual obligations to deliver what the people chose him/ her and not doing to the contrary.German Foreign Minister recalled saying she does not care what German voters say she cares only Ukraine! Victor Orban is correct and should not be blamed for his stand for Hungary first. That is a real leader who stands for his people he is well focused and is peace minded person.He knows the cost and impacts of unnecessary war and by standing on the safe line should be praised.Others who follow the wind direction are crying!!

@TrackballClick Год назад

At 10:25, mentioning on of his advisors, who resignes, has some more details to mention. That is a lady who spent several years in Paris as mainly left-wing activist, sociolog. Yet, become advisor of Orban V. Inside fidesz you will find a large political spectrum. When the advisor send the open letter of the resignation, she also shed light to two very important facts. In the anger fueled by the moment she declared, she resign despite Orban has never limited her actions... and one more thing we find, she says that sometimes I fought with him byting like I "bite down the head" (there is an expression in Hungarian) and he never fight back. These two information are the key to understand why Hungary is still one of the most stable democracy. Nobody is opressed because of political views, is not threatened. Moreover, she withdrawn her public resignation letter at the end and continue his work with him. Man, that a democracy should look like! We have to have right to speak, sometimes harshly as we wish and not be persecuted. That's is well known by hungarian peoples, that's why the current government is supported by the wast majority. The bias from the mainstream media, compared to the reality is stark, one can even say that is fake news. Sadly, prof James Ker-Lindsay is also propagating this side.

@naruciakk Год назад

In the EU the removal of unanimity in certain cases (e.g. in international relations) should be actually enough - this way Hungary wouldn't really be that harmful

@mistercuriousmind Год назад

This may look sensible, but it is very difficult to achieve if you want to maintain democratic values. Who gets to decide on what occasions you do not need unanimity. Ignoring even one state means, their opinion does not matter. EU and UN struggles with the exact same disease. The only feasible way I can imagine to introduce this is for the case when a conflict or disastrous problem is caused by a certain country, in that case I would take away the voting right of the culprit for the problem in question. This could be really helpful in UNSC resolving conflicts, but it would be still difficult in EU since Hungary is hardly a culprit in the Russo-Ukraine war. and you cannot name a culprit when it is about the internal affairs of a country. But I agree it would be nice if removal would be easy.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Thanks Peter. In fact, in most areas the EU has abandoned unanimity. Qualified majority voting (QMV) balances the power of the big states with the will of the small ones. It would be possible to require a super-QMV for certain issues. But I think it is time that the EU moves beyond unanimity on any issues. As it expands this just allows one member to hold everyone else hostage.

@mistercuriousmind Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay I guess super-QMV in itself also has its dangers as we can see that in the Hungarian lawmaking. So, I would say it is a good idea in the right hands. Hopefully, EU is large and diverse enough to not get into this sort of situation if supermajority is eventually implemented.

@Kalimdor199Menegroth Год назад

Actually not. Unless there are exemptions to countries who refuse to follow suit. Unanimity should remain at the center of the EUSSR. It is the only thing that prevents it from going full Lenin-Stalin style.

@mistercuriousmind Год назад

I am uncertain if you are aware what USSR was doing when you mention EUSSR. I think you should expand your knowledge and do a lot of reading what USSR meant socially and economically, geopilitically, what were their goals and methods. Or simplt check what was the constitution.

@mirekslechta7161 Год назад

Orban is the only european leader who did not put his own citizens interests behind USA´s interests.

@fuzzyhair321 Год назад

Sure but what is small Hungary going to do. Only a relevant country in Europe 150yrs ago, your country has picked the wrong horse

@Grundewalt Год назад

sorry but I thought that we,re discussing about the options to deal with it. I waited till the end, and appart from the already taken measure of restraining eu funds, and the statement that we have to do something,, but expulsion seem not possible, I do not see in the video a range of options to chose from...:(

@tauceti8060 Год назад

The majority Hungarians reelected him and his political party back in power knowing the kind of guy Orban is and his policies so can we really blame him for serving the interest of the majority of Hungarians when it comes to Ukraine and Russia?I dont agree with him with a lot of things but if this is the Kind of leadership the majority in Hungary want who are we in the west to be angry with him wirh relation to his policies and foreign ties.

@jonathanp896 Год назад

Do they really "know the kind of guy Orban is", though? His party essentially owns most of the Hungarian media, and they use this power to prevent the publication of anything which criticises him or disagrees with the government line.

@PutXi_Whipped Год назад

@@jonathanp896 You just described Berlusconi and there were no calls to remove Italy from the EU or NATO

@Chaika1974 Год назад

Okay, the majority of Hungarians voting for Orban and his policies is one thing. They're free to act however they want, afterall Hungary is a sovereign state. But if the will of the majority of the Hungarian people goes against the principles and values of the the West, then why should they continue to benefit from our funds and institutions? If the Hungarians have the right to act according to their will then the West has the right to stop subsidizing a country whose values go against its values.

@firebird4491 Год назад

Putin also generally enjoys a majority approval rating at least before the war.

@nian60 Год назад

If Hungary doesn't want to be a part of the EU, it should leave the EU. I for one am extremely unhappy that my tax money goes to a fascist country.

@bulcsuvezer9378 Год назад

The Ukrainian state has just destroyed a historical monument in Ukraine because it is Hungarian.

@jezalb2710 Год назад

Good

@bulcsuvezer9378 Год назад

@@jezalb2710 Is barbarism good for you?

@jezalb2710 Год назад

@@bulcsuvezer9378 when it comes to Hungarians? Yes

@bulcsuvezer9378 Год назад

@@jezalb2710 Of course, if you are a barbarian yourself, then you like barbarism.

@jezalb2710 Год назад

@@bulcsuvezer9378 indeed. Slava Ukraïni

@marcboblee1863 Год назад

I take it sir, that you think Europe shouldn't be for its native European peoples? Should China be for the Chinese, or India for the Indians?

@bb-6359 Год назад

He has never said this before. You're putting words into his mouth and making assertions which have no basis in reality, and is quite frankly insulting. Also what you just commented has literally nothing to do with the video, which judging from your comment I doubt you watched as he never makes any assertion that would even hint at this asinine claim.

@marcboblee1863 Год назад

@@bb-6359 Perhaps YOU need to watch the entire video....note when James says the President of Hungary is xenophobic...he is not, he wants Hungary to be for Hungarians, it is their land and culture....there is absolutely nothing wrong with that... However your arrogance and rudeness is not ok, unfortunately the internet has bred a vast array of moral and physical cowards...you would be aware of that....thanks for the (rude, arrogant) comment....

@bb-6359 Год назад

@@marcboblee1863 lmao you just perfectly described yourself at the end. Couldn't have said it any better!

@marcboblee1863 Год назад

@@bb-6359 interesting you didn't address the point that was made....I use my real name...you should think about doing the same....have a fabulous day.....

@tubiesandro Год назад

@@marcboblee1863 to say that your country has to be for the natives, probably implies that you mean ONLY for the natives. Therefore you are probably implying that you cannot bear the presence of non-natives in your country. So actually you don't want them any near you. If you DID like foreigners you wouldn't mind them near you. So... You do not like them. If you do not like foreigners, because you'd rather they were far away from you, not close to you, then you are... XENOPHOBIC. What other word are you gonna use to describe someone who does not like foreigners or their proximity????? Or put in a different way? Can you explain, preferibly with examples, what is xenophobic for you, if not wanting foreigners near you isn't xenophobic enough?

@Felixxxxxxxxx Год назад

The Swedish translation of your title is basically " The western country (singular) enemy inside one's body " . The auto-translate usually creates a fair amount of confusion and I would recommend against using it. Swedish is still quite close to English, so I can only imagine what titles Turkish and Hungarian people get when you auto translate the titles. The content was good though, even though it was nothing similar to the title.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Thanks so much. That's incredibly helpful to know. It is always difficult. The translate is getting better and better, but it's still not there. AS I happens, the reason I include Swedish is because it is listed as one of the most popular languages amongst viewers.

@MrAdam6468 Год назад

Hi Professor, I wanted to ask you, where do you get your maps? They are so beautiful and well designed! Thank you

@fearlessgeneral120 Год назад

Your opinion though. In my opinion he is the best and most sensible leader in Europe currently. Wake up!

@mpriymak Год назад

How dare Orban pursue Hungary's national interests above those of EU bureaucrats and US...

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

If he really wanted to pursue Hungarian national interests and the EU is so bad, why during he just take Hungary out if the EU? He won’t though. He doesn’t want that. The EU money is worth too much. And it’s a great target to distract people with as he oversees massive corruption. He’s really not the crusading nationalist warrior that I think you want him to be.

@liltinglullaby3282 Год назад

I'm Hungarian and the last 12 years havr clearly shown that he is not pursuing Hungary's national interests. He is pursuing his family's and friends' interests, essentially turning them into oligarchs.

@traveler263 Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay EU money is good for Hungary, yes, but is it as good as slavery and colonialism money was/(is) for uk, france and the netherlands?

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

@@traveler263 Not sure what your point is?

@mpriymak Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay Exactly. He is pursuing Hungary's national interests by taking EU money while simultaneously avoiding damaging Hungary's economy by playing EU and US geopolitical games against Russia. That's a net positive for Hungary. The beauty is in the fact that he can afford to do this at this time.

@AM-Aquarius Год назад

Maybe you should realize he's a leader not a cowardly follower like all of Europe and Nato's so called leaders

@huntergameson9665 Год назад

This reminds me of the native americans when colonial powers considered standing up for your rights deems you an enemy

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

No, really it isn’t the same at all. Every part of that analogy breaks down. Hungary has every right and opportunity to leave the EU if it wants. But Orban won’t do it. Hungary does well out of it. The Hungarians know it. And Orban knows it. He just likes using it to divert attention while he oversees wholesale corruption. It’s just interesting that so many people who hate the EU are so desperate for a hero they overlook all this.

@huntergameson9665 Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay no one had a problem when trump had an America first policy and victoria nuland saying fuc the EU and interfering in another nations elections but it is wrong for orban to have a Hungary first policy and doing what is best for its people and economy....anything against european colonial values is deemed a threat to them and history proves this.

@Kelvin555s Год назад

There are many flaws in EU and NATO structure what to do when a member does not follow the core idea of the organizations anymore. What is the point to force a country to fulfil all obligations to join them where countries don't need to follow them later?

@kolle128 Год назад

This video is biased. 1st it does not mention how Fidesz won and keeps winning. Unfortunatelly the opposition leaders are extremely unpopular due to their prior conduct, and should be replaced. But they are supported from abroad, and by being the most powerful oposition Party they are preventing the formation of an opposition, where they are not the leaders, and therefore locking in Orban as prime Minister. This situation is not good, but Orban is not the man that has to be removed to change it. 2nd Hungary does not have any obligation related to migrants who illegally crossed the border. Germany wants to address its shrinking population with migrants, thats fine, but this cannot be forced onto Hungary, where this tought is unpopular, and there is experience of the difficulties of integrating ethnic and cultural outsiders. This is also part of the reason how Hungary lost so much territorry so its a sensitive topic. 3rd it does explore other explanations for Hungarys Russian gas problem nor does it show it's stepps to reduce their dependency, such as starting coal and lignit plants, burning wood and building a nuclear reactor. While Fidesz did have anti democratic conduct, being national and not liberal is not a crime.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Yes, it does say how it keeps winning. Orban has changed the media environment. He can now control the message. That’s the issue. He is undermining democracy. Democracy is not about winning elections. It is about creating an entire system where elections can be held freely and fairly.

@SuzannaKiraly Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay Well what about the American media, which is mostly controlled by the left. Does that make America undemocratic then?

@allanfifield8256 Год назад

Starts off with serious errors: Hungary holds regularly scheduled honest elections. Hungary is a small country of less than ten million. Hungarians live in the neighborhood; American live in the international suburbs, It is not in any meaningful sense "THE WESTS ENEMY".

@katalinhalom7960 Год назад

Thank you for talking sense! Best regards from Austria

@jjdelft3216 Год назад

"Honest elections" depends what you call honest, doesn't it? If only the ruling party gets to take the time for meaningful commercials and all media, as most other industries, is controlled by the leaders cronies so that all you can see is their side, without the opposition getting any chance. Are those "honest elections" in a honest democracy?

@ldhorricks Год назад

@@jjdelft3216 exactly

@ldhorricks Год назад

Hungary is by every measure the most heavily gerrymandered country in the EU...and Orban and his Fidesz party own a monopoly on pretty much all mainstream media...just like Babis tried to do in Czech Rep. Not a single elecetion watchdog organisation considers HU's elections fair and transparent

@katalinhalom7960 Год назад

@@jjdelft3216 There are two round the clock TV stations of the opposition, and over 20 print media. So, please, don't talk nonsense.

@aaronjones8905 Год назад

I think some necessary context is missing from this video surrounding the developing politics of the EU. Let me first describe the situation prior to the Russian invasion as I see it: The EU is largely dominated by Germany and France - especially after Brexit. Following both the 2008 Financial Crisis and the Migrant Crisis, the EU has seen as rise in right-wing sentiments surrounding national identity in essentially every EU member state. Parties affiliated with this movement have long been tarred with being Russian pawns due to Moscow's verbal and often financial support. Putin effectively used his image as a conservative religious nationalist to create an Eastern European axis of right-wing populism. Germany and France have not been immune to this, but they continue to be governed by parties which support the general trend of liberalism on issues of climate, immigration, and LGBT issues. Then the invasion happened, and this is what I see as the result: The Russian invasion has brought these issues to the forefront of European politics, but Putin miscalculated the level at which post-Soviet states like Romania, Poland, and much of the Balkans would react against this move. Hungary is the only country which sees the EU's liberal policies as a greater threat to their national identity than invasion. The political issues at hand are once again energy/climate, inflation control, and refugees. Let me now offer my view of Orban given his chosen path: I think outside observers should always be careful when criticizing elected leaders unless there is rock solid evidence that the vote was illegitimate. While I think his position regarding the benefits of Russian friendship are wrong - I see them as well within his normal lane of thought. As a nationalist, he will not risk high energy prices in Hungary for the sake of another country. He also remains highly skeptical of the integration of refugees and migrants into his nation's populace. He continues to see Russia as the counterweight to German/French politics, and this blinds him to how hollow Putin's commitment is to traditional conservatism. In conclusion: I think Orban has been in power without an effective opposition for so long that he, or those around him, are likely corrupt to some degree. I believe Russia actually could/should play a constructive role in leading the conservative politics of Europe, but they can't in their current state. Orban's commitment to Hungary is likely being subverted by his commitment to his own power due to the length of his tenure, but I do not believe he is an inherently racist or anti-democratic leader.

@Head0.25s Год назад

A.K.A the end of the centuries long friendship of Poland and Hungary? (Poland was there to back up Hungary amidst EU criticism (before the war, with both their conservative law reforms), alas now as Poland's opposition towards Russia is more pronounced than ever, it puts it at odds with its closest friend which happened to be on the other side of this war: Hungary)

@jiggy7108 Год назад

Orban is the most based leader in Europe

@marc639 Год назад

He is not a puppets and not a dictator

@adicsal6821 Год назад

But yes.

@andrewlim9345 Год назад

Viktor Orban’s idea of illiberal democracy is similar to Lee Kuan Yew and the People’s Action Party in Singapore. While the PAP is authoritarian, it however avoids ethnic nationalism and anti-migrant politics.

@luijiprimerose7654 Год назад

Dear Professor The leader of Hungry is elected by a wide margin by the people and tries hard to protect the interests of his people by obtaining cheap gas to warm up his people’s houses during harsh winter and keep their factories functioning to prevent lay off of tens of thousands, and you call his autocratic leader. You call him corrupt because he is not lackey of US, UK and other large European countries and doesn’t follow their hegemony behavior toward non European countries and societies. I would expect a professor of your caliber be more fair and honest and doesn’t act as mouthpiece of hegemonic Anglosaxsons or Francophiles. I most of the time watch your RU-vid commentaries and for most part I like and admire them. But in this case I have my doubts if you are being a mouthpiece of US, UK, France and unelected European Commission. I am puzzled as how this Commission is elected because of behind closed doors and dealings and wheeling under the shadow of US hegemonic threats. The election of the Commission is definitely not as democratic and as free as Hungry is. Expect more even handed and fairer presentation from you in the future. For your info I am not Hungarian, nor Russian and not even European. However I am a student at large of history of the world. With respect

@chngcheehwee5433 Год назад

Fully agree with you 😃😊 👍👍 hopefully the world will be multi polar, not rule by a single super power.

@Chainsaw18 Год назад

W comment/letter

@SuzannaKiraly Год назад

Maybe not everything that Orban does is great but he wants to preserve the Hungarian culture. That is why he doesn’t want Hungary to be overrun by large waves of migrants. These migrants were coming from many different countries and trying to cross Hungary’s borders without permission and even attacking the Hungarian police. Also, Orban buys energy from Russia because this was necessary for running the Hungarian economy, but he also wants alternatives to Russian energy. He is not a Russian tool. He simply does what he believes to be in the interest of Hungary. Watching him answer questions is a good way to learn more about his viewpoints.

@dumitrubaruta9936 Год назад

Mr. Orban is above all a true patriot who cares about his people. Hungary a small country does not afford to give lessons to anyone, they are just protecting themselves. This is why mr Orban is still there in power. Hungarian people voted for him with a big majority.

@turan-altay-38 Год назад

Bravo Hungary ❤🤍💚 Bravo Turkiye ❤❤❤

@paulcock8929 Год назад

Victor Orban has the vast majority behind him, he is not a dictator.

@franciscusjohannesburger3720 Год назад

Thanks for comment !

@MasaKoshi Год назад

Hi James, great video as always!! I have two questions. 1. Hungary and Ukraine had a tensed relationship even before the war. Moreover, Hungary has heavily relied on Russia in terms of the energy. Do you think Hungary could be against Russia more strongly if Orban was not the PM? 2. Some people see Orban and Vucic have similarities in terms of illiberal policies. Do you agree on that kind of opinion? Do you think Hungarian policies may influence the Serbian policies? Thank you!!

@henrybn14ar Год назад

Vucic merely reflects opinion in the country. The Serbians detest the EU and NATO, based on bitter experience.

@Kalimdor199Menegroth Год назад

1. Hungary relies on Russian energy because there is no alternative for now. Germany and Austria succeeded in lobbying against NABUCO and BRUA years ago, which might've broken Russia's energy grasp on Hungary and other countries in Central and East Europe. Whoever comes in charge of Hungary will have to come to terms with the fact that over 70% of Hungary's energy supplies comes from Russian sources. And if Russia decides to cut the supply, they won't stay in power for long. After all, the people don't care what happens in Ukraine. They care about having cheap energy and gas bills. 2. Partly yes, partly no. Serbia, unlike Hungary is a pro-Russian country, in terms of population perception. Ordinary Serbs see in Russia and in Putin an ally. Ordinary Hungarians not so much. Hungary's perceived pro-Russian stance is purely out of interest. I.e. they realize that they get most of their energy needs from Russia, so they have to somehow balance between lip servicing both Russia and the EU. Which is a normal thing to do given its circumstances. This is the concept of realpolitik. You can afford to play the moral wolf when you don't depend on anything Russian, but when you do... well, you gotta come to terms with both the cow and the goat.

@laughingseal2282 Год назад

Vucic is way more pragmatic than Orban. He juggles with popular support of Russia but is also trying to appease the Serbian elite (who wants to join EU badly). But he also holds strong relations with China. He is nowhere comparable to Orban, who is unabashedly anti-democratic.

@JanTheHun42 Год назад

@@Kalimdor199Menegroth Orbán's efforts to align our country with Russia goes way further than simple "lip service". One example: the legislation intended to crush down on NGOs is a word-by-word translation of the similar Russian law.

@Kalimdor199Menegroth Год назад

@@JanTheHun42 Again, give the guy alternative ways of obtaining energy, other than from Russian sources, and then you have the moral highground in your beef with Orban and Hungary overall. But as long as you guys tell him to stop buying Russian gas, while 70% of their gas comes from Russia, excuse me, but I would show you the middle finger as well. As a Romanian, I don't really have high sympathies for Hungary, but if I were in its situation, I would do the same thing. "the legislation intended to crush down on NGOs is a word-by-word translation of the similar Russian law." The US has a similar legislation though. It is called FARA, Foreign Agent Registration Act. And considering the foreign interests that seek to undermine the democratic institutions in Hungary as well as the elected body, it is very necessary. I support the idea of crushing NGO's that act against the rule of law and the will of the people.

@valimback5109 Год назад

Are you making a video on Poland😊 as well?

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

Maybe at some point. No immediate plans. Hungary is a bit of a different case because it is working against the EU and NATO. But Poland obviously presents very important issues.

@kaanaydinofficial Год назад

Hungary is a Turanian Hun and Slavic state. It is state founded by Atilla. Turkie is always on the side of Hungary.

@VictorScic Год назад

The problem with throwing Hungary out of the EU & NATO is that then it gives them a clear excuse to join officially Russia´side. We can only hope that they see the light and change their leader... this is a lesson to be learned if we one time admit Serbia into the EU, they have a great hate for the west and it will simply create more feet stamping towards EU decisions... they want to be in for the money and residency rights within the EU but EU should not interfere in their ideology.

@Kalimdor199Menegroth Год назад

Solve the Kosovo issue and Serbia's qualms with the West will be resolved too. But until then, you can't expect Serbs to accept their territory being taken and their country being bombed to hell, with no reparations provided and then make peace and be happy. Serbia, although they had a good relationship with Russia, has generally been pro-West. They fought alongside the West in both World Wars and Tito opposed the USSR.

@gyderian9435 Год назад

Hungary joining russia would still be better for the west than keeping it in EU & NATO. hungary can harm things but they aren't useful, so not needed.

@johnjuhasz612 Год назад

Hungary has a totally different outlook on the eventual outcome of the war in Ukraine and it's based on actual experience. Just look at what happened in 1956. We will see who is right in a few months -- Hungary or the rest of EU.

@viktornovomestsky3999 Год назад

Well, we, the Czech republic and Slovakia, have the very same experience, when we have got invaded by the USSR troops in 1968 (Russia, Poland, East Germany, Bulgaria and even Hungary), though we are helping Ukraine as much as we can, militarily, finacially, diplomatically and so on... The Czech republic hosts above 440.000 refugees, the highest number per capita in the whole EU... So sorry, but do not put your behaviour on your experience.. And regarding the outcome - Ukraine has taken back about 10.000 km2 of their territory just within the last month, and within this week they are going to retake Kherson, so the outcome of the war is quite clear... And btw., the video above was not about Ukraine, but about Hungary's democratic backsliding over the past 12 years.. And the war is just his last move...

@jtgd Год назад

The Soviet Union doesn’t exist. Completely different time and situation

@johnjuhasz612 Год назад

@@viktornovomestsky3999 1) The only same experience was that both countries were invaded. But the Czechoslovak resistance doesn't even compare to that of Hungary's and Hungary paid a heavy price for that. If I recall, the Czechoslovak army didn't even come out of their barracks. 2) Nobody said that you should not support the Ukraine. 3) The Orban govt won a clear majority in the last elections, so how can you call it "democratic backsliding"?

@johnjuhasz612 Год назад

@@jtgd The Soviet Union was dominated by Russia, so your comment doesn't negate Hungary's experience. There is a reason for the saying " History doesn't repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme"

@viktornovomestsky3999 Год назад

@@johnjuhasz612 Well, thanks to USSR policies, and the experience USSR made in Hungary, we had no chance to arm ourselves, otherwise it would have been very brutal.. And that the army did not put any resistence was due to the order of Dubček, in order to avoid Czechs being killed, as it was the biggest military operation since the WWII, far overreaching the Hungary's situation.. There were 500.000 soldiers, 6000 tanks, 2400 fighter planes and so on... Clear majority.. You're funny.. The Orban's government has rewritten the election rules in that way they will allways rule, no matter the results... Take a look back to 2010 when your constitution has been rewritten completely... And since then, well, huge corruption, misusing EU subsidies, apointing loyal judges in all courts and so much much more... No wonder EU has cut you off receiving 7,5 Billion Euros from post-covid recovery funds and the same is now threatening to do with your whole subsidies 2021-2027...

@JOHNSMITH-if9jr Год назад

doesn't France want to leave nato now and Germany.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

No. If anything, the war in Ukraine has given NATO a new purpose. There’s certainly talk of greater European defence cooperation, but it doesn’t seem to be an either/or option with NATO anymore. Both can work and strengthen each other.

@JOHNSMITH-if9jr Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay this may be the case, but i can''t see Nato boots on the ground in the ukraine what your thoughts on this

@seppohannunen7020 Год назад

Independent Hungary, Not a warmonger. The people love peace.👍🕊🕊🕊

@glenngilbert7389 Год назад

Thank you for providing yet another clear and unambiguous insight.

@rbp365 Год назад

I'm from Hungary and there is no chance we serve Russian interests :) We are part of EU, in spite that we are bullied and attacked from some parts of EU organizations all the time. And we are very closely integrated in the NATO alliance, we have very close military cooperation. In some of the military ops we have leadership role, and we are trusted by the larger countries, despite us being very small. More over, if the EU countries had followed our advice to grow military expense and defense capabilities, the Ukraine war would not have happened at all, probably. With a strong, coherent Europe, Russia can not take a chance. But Germany (who should be the leading force in Europe) is too busy to break down their military and energy industry, now Russia thinks that they can do anything.

@microbus432 Год назад

Seems like noone cares about common sense anymore my friend.

@nikocat2008 Год назад

@@microbus432

@johnclark1925 Год назад

I agree. Much of this is video is mainstream Euro-centric academic opinion on Hungary from a very specific viewpoint of events and soon the reality of Hungary takes a back seat to ‘conventional wisdom’.

@d3thkn1ghtmcgee74 Год назад

Yet having a very undiversified energy sector is somehow impossible and crazy. Having having a higher military budget is all good until your cut off of power... Investing in infrastructure can open up many doors.

@evatabanyi6337 Год назад

Our PM is serving the interests of his own country. That's it. It's so simple even if you don't like it.

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

No. The simple answer is for Hungary to leave the EU if it doesn’t like the rules. And if you think he is serving the interests of Hungarians then I’m afraid your going to be in for quite a surprise at some point.

@hunmax5416 Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay This is really simple and very comfortable answer for neo-Marxists (nickname: liberals). Hungary is just waiting the fall of the European socialists. Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Italy just the beginning...

@JamesKerLindsay Год назад

I don’t think you’d like that half as much as you think you would.

@hunmax5416 Год назад

@@JamesKerLindsay Maybe but its also a valid option... You have received criticism for many comments because " not speak Hungarian, not live in Hungary". You know why? Because you are not asking the right question. The question is not Orban is good or bad. The real question is the liberal/leftist opposition a better alternative? The Hungarian answer is clearly NO. They are incompetent and unreliable but you know very little or nothing about why. Btw im not an Orban voter Im to right of him.