How EU bankrolled anti-democratic rebellion
Poland and Hungary have used the largesse of the European Union to undermine democracy and the rule of law, according to a new Bloomberg analysis: The awkward truth is that… Read more »
Category: Hungary
MZP – Hungarian democracy’s last chance?
How long does it take an authoritarian populist to dismantle the institutions of a liberal democracy so completely that they become no longer salvageable? @JeremyCliffe asks in @NewStatesman https://t.co/c4QjhXLYxE —… Read more »
Is China forging a new Eastern bloc in CEE?
China’s economic and political footprint has expanded so quickly that many countries, even those with relatively strong state and civil society institutions like the advanced industrial democracies, have struggled to… Read more »
Hungary’s Orban tries to seize mantle of Christian Democracy?
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban is on a quest to remake European politics by seizing the mantle of European Christian Democracy and exporting his illiberal ideology, Amanda Coakley writes for… Read more »
‘Silver bullet’ needed to bring autocrats to heel
New legislation allows Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban to further consolidate power while eroding civil liberties and making it harder to scrutinize how the government spends public funds, the Times… Read more »
Democracy v liberalism? Time to struggle for liberal ideas & institutions
The relationship between liberalism and democracy, generally compatible but occasionally tense, is becoming more fraught at both domestic and international levels, observers suggest. The dispute over the rule of law… Read more »
Illiberal Hungary’s budget veto over EU rule-of-law ‘could create havoc’
Hungary will veto the European Union’s 2021-27 budget and its COVID recovery scheme if access to funds is made conditional on governments’ adherence to the rule of law, a move… Read more »
CEE’s democratic vulnerabilities revealed
Corruption, populism, nationalism and disinformation have eroded faith in liberal democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a new report – which says many people would trade in some… Read more »
Don’t underestimate resilience of the smart new despotisms
The new despotism defies the standard distinction between democracy and authoritarianism, argues John Keane (above), Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney and WZB (Berlin). The “whip-smart resilience” of… Read more »
How to counter ‘troubling trends’ of democratic erosion?
Hungary’s restrictions on the financing of civil-society organizations are unlawful, the European Union’s highest court ruled on Thursday, in a resounding rebuke to Prime Minister Viktor Orban over measures that… Read more »