A conservative pundit dismisses the leaders of the new spontaneous anti-government movements as daydreamers, but calls on Fidesz to wake up from what he calls its own self-satisfied dream. A left-wing analyst doesn’t rule out the possibility of a new grassroots political force emerging in Hungary. READ MORE
Echoing the protests of NGOs, a liberal pundit condemns a video released by police to warn teenage girls of the dangers of late night attacks by rapists, and suggests that it will increase the suffering of the victims. A conservative commentator dismisses such accusations as nonsense. READ MORE
Analysts agree that the American pressure on Hungary is largely motivated by geopolitical considerations and is bound to increase unless the government makes resolute concessions. They admit however that it is difficult for Hungary’s leaders to retreat from positions they have vehemently defended so far. READ MORE
A liberal columnist contends that the US is pressurizing Hungary in order to protect its own geopolitical interests. Centrist and liberal conservative commentators warn of the consequences of diplomatic isolation and call for reconciliation with the US and the EU. A liberal weekly speculates that PM Orbán is already on his way out of the EU and NATO. READ MORE
An economist who is also a Dominican nun welcomes the National Bank’s efforts to follow leading scholars and universities around the world who have realized the importance of replacing neoliberal dogmas in economics curriculum. READ MORE
Commentators across the political spectrum agree that the United States wants Hungary to reverse the political course it has been following for the past few years. All place the recent American entry ban imposed on six Hungarian personalities suspected of corruption in this context. But they disagree on who is right and who is wrong in this dispute. READ MORE
Pro-government commentators find it strange that while Washington sees Hungarian moves to investigate Norwegian funded projects as a serious attack on civil society, the United States has its own problems with Norwegian financed think tanks posing as independent research institutions. READ MORE
Right-wing bloggers are infuriated by the government’s plan to impose a new tax on the use of the internet. They accuse the ruling party of reneging on its earlier position. READ MORE
A conservative columnist contends that the proposed US-EU free trade agreement is likely to serve US geopolitical interests and may not be in line with the wishes of Europeans. A moderate commentator believes that the US is bent on increasing its formal and informal influence in Eastern Europe in order to weaken illiberal regimes which challenge its hegemony. READ MORE