Hungarian Spectrum features daily analyses of news from Hungary—political, economic, and cultural. Its editor and primary pundit is Eva S. Balogh, who formerly taught East European history at Yale University. Guest contributors include Kim Lane Scheppele, professor of sociology and international affairs at Princeton University; Charles Gati, senior research professor of European and Eurasian studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Randolph L. Braham, distinguished professor emeritus of political science and director of the Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; and Janos Kornai, professor of economics emeritus at Harvard University and Corvinus University of Budapest.
The site, which is archived at the Library of Congress, is recognized by diplomats, journalists, scholars, and representatives of non-governmental organizations as a source of thoughtful analysis and high-level discussion of contemporary Hungarian affairs.
This is just to express my profound admiration for Professor Balogh’s remarkably well-informed coverage, temperate but firm, of ongoing Hungarian developments from the standpoint of a professional historian: The benign and rational portion of the Hungarian populace (which, I am sure, despite the cacophony of xenophobic loathing, scape-goating and irredentist hubris currently prevailing in that sad little land, still exists) is greatly in Professor Balogh’s debt for her clear-headed and fair-minded surveillance. Her relentlessly exposing to the outside world the current Hungarian government’s unprincipled opportunism cannot but help hasten that nation’s return to sense and decency.
“that sad little land” – well, Stevan Harnad is profoundly and remarkably special.
Your one response to Stevan Harnar’s rant is quite ironic. While I currently commute to work in Budapest I am struck by the sadness and despondent looks on nearly every Hungarian’s face. Statistically, these observations are buttressed by the fact that Hungary is 85th on an international “Happiness Survey” conducted by the UN-a scale that scientifically measures 5 factors including those related to education, wellness and economic well-being. I quite literally see the populace as tragically sad-which they have every right to be. The country too is rather small in size and has a population of about 10 million people. So, it is quite reasonable, yet unfortunate, to refer to Hungary as a “sad little land.”
“The observer is the observed”
When you see sadness, you see but your own reflection.
When you transfer and consequently attribute these feelings to
an entire nation, that is when you have lost touch with reality.
Stevan Harnad, the biggest seglyuk on the world!
With correct spelling segglyuk.
I very much appreciated Stevan Harnad’s comments. Just yesterday I got a private letter from a Ph.D. candidate who found the blog helpful. After reading such comments I feel that writing this blog is after all not in vain. Thank you.
Thanks a lot!
Eva Balogh, thanks for your continuing narrative on the current regime’s actions against an open and informed society. Even in Sweden we have some concern over activities by parties on the right, aiming at undermining public institutions of great democratic value.
Your blog is not in vain. Voices of sanity and logic must speak out.
Thank you very much.
Hi,
I am writing from the Press Gazette, a journalism magazine in the UK, we are hoping to do a piece on press freedom in Hungary for our edition next week and I would love to be able to get Professor Balogh’s opinion on the matter, it would be great if she could get in touch with me at James.Michael.Read@gmail.com or let me know how I can contact her?
Regards,
James Read
The Hungarian Left parrots that there is no press freedom in Hungary. The Hungarian Left lies, in reality it is one of the European countries where press freedom is flourishing. The Left does not like that there is a strong center-right press unlike in Western Europe where there is increasing censoring by the national governments. One example: if one talks about atrocities committed by Muslim migrants news suppression occurs at best and prosecution at worst.
JoeW
Pretty dumb propaganda the “Press freedom is flourishing” in Hun, where
There isn’t a single independent national coverage radio, only 2 limited cov TV stations – ATV (Budapest) is being bribed to soften criticism and Hír TV turned critical only after a personal rift between Orban and his former economic/corruption tsar Simicska.
The publicly funded state and local government media became Orban’s propaganda outlet, and so on.
State advertising keeps the gov supporters alive, private advertisers are “discouraged” from using any independent outlet.
Observer the fact that you contradict your statement in the first 4 lines mean you are indoutable at a low iq. Brrutallll really
B.B.
I’ll rather let the readers judge this fidesznik’s education, comprehension and IQ. Good example.
I am not a friend of name calling as it will not make you friends. People make mistakes.
Mind you, there is no such thing as an “independent” national coverage radio. Just as the Soros Open Society Foundation is not really about philanthropy or Popper’s particular philosophy. (Popper did not identify open society either with democracy or with capitalism or a laissez-faire economy, but actually with a critical frame of mind on the part of the individual.)
You complain about not having liberal friendly media in Hungary, but are you really concerned with the individual? If you were, you would have accepted the democratic will of the nation which was overwhelmingly expressed in past elections.
The elections were not fair or free. The whole system is rigged. Two-thirds majority with less than 50% of the votes.
The 2018 elections yielded 49% Fidesz and and 20% Jobbik popular votes. Total landslide for the nationalists. The 49% Fidesz result alone is a remarkable achievement for a single party. They have the right to govern, twist it any way you like. Western nations would “kill” for such election results, and with a record 70% voters turnout! Of course, the losers will blame the system, but the popular votes do not lie.
Well, if that the way you want wing elections, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.
-You are joking. Are you not? Can you really say that with a straight face? It is the third straight election victory for Fidesz . Without substantial opposition. As well as coming in quite close in the 2006 election.
-You should be ashamed of yourself for not owing up to the failure in convincing the Hungarian electorate of you vision .
I don’t know what is so difficult to understand about a party’s victory when they secure close to half the popular vote amounting to more than the four other major parties put together. To add insult to injury, the second place was also taken by nationalists. And you are calling that shameful to articulate???
How were they not free? This is new! Even the New York Times admitted that the elections were free. Immediately after the results came in.
elections, check this https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/hungary/373603
media situation, check this https://rsf.org/en/hungary and this https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2017/hungary
freedom in general, check https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2019/hungary
political situation, check https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-reports/breaking-down-democracy-goals-strategies-and-methods-modern-authoritarians
Somewhat one sided, I would think.
At the end of the day the globalists are losing ground all over Europe. For some time now. We shall see how things stand after the EU elections.
Newest poll: Salvini 68 seats – of 751: https://pollofpolls.eu/map/eu-parliament
What is your point?
-Even Soros sees the writing on the wall. This is fairly recent…
“Controversial billionaire George Soros has warned the European Union looks to be “on the verge of collapse”
Do not be an ostrich!
one sided? look into it…
“Somewhat one sided,” you think? Okay, some additions: short after the elections server went down, instead of giving results. There are surprising differences between numbers of votes, counted votes and not counted, the total votes varied! There were polling stations with votes for opposition lists, but not a single for opposition candidates – all counted as invalid instead. The regime invented the “lost votes”, that is the difference of the winner and the second candidate and added to the party list with the winning candidate, so these invalid votes hindered the opposition candidate and pushed the regime’s party list. There was generally no media access for opposition politicians in nation-wide radio stations, most TV, all regional newspapers, most nation-wide newspapers. Billboards were expropriated and given to regime leaning persons (even the independent weekly hgv is no longer allowed to publish its front page, as it is not one sided for the regime), media may publish campaign spots, but needn’t. Those close to the regime often enough don’t, but publish “governmental information”, this is the name for regime propaganda paid by us, the taxpayers and not bound to any spending limit. Communal workers and those getting benefits from the village councils… Read more »
Long winded explanations for a failure. Excuses and blaming.
Mr. Polan, you are obviously in a political environment here that doesn’t suit your very set political views. Ever since you showed up here you have been bombarding Hungarian Spectrum with comments, expressing your profound dissatisfaction with both the commentators’ intelligence and the contents of my writings. You refuse to accept any evidence provided by your fellow commentators and therefore you make any kind of intelligent conversation between the two sides impossible. I especially object to your personal attacks on others and on myself. I want you to know that in the future I will not approve such high-handed answers from you as the above remark.
Are you familiar with the word “facts”? Or do you just think this dictatorship ist just great?
Most nations have less that 50%. 50% is about as good a sample statistically as one can get. The loser always complains that the wrong party won.
Harminckét évem elszelelt
s még havi kétszáz sose telt.
Az ám,
Hazám!
These are the facts, Joe! People don’t understand that for example, 90% the Dutch media (the Netherlands) is in the hands of one Belgium family with the support of the liberal left Dutch government.
A classmate of mine from the gimnazium 1952-1956, who lives in Budapest, keeps me informed about the Orban government’s systematic elimination of free press in Hungary. He is following Putin’s example in Russia — a rather shocking behavior by a Hungarian head of government considering the history of Russian aggression in Hungary starting in 1849, followed by the short-lived Bolshevist terror after World War 1, and culminating in the Soviet occupation of Hungary for decades after World War 2. During that time I, and all other Hungarian kids, were forced to study Russian as an attempt at Russification of Hungary’s youth. As a freshman at the Technical University in Buda, on October 21, 1956, on that sunny and warm day, in the Great Hall of the university, we drafted and published two demands: the departure of Soviet troops (that became the omnipresent slogan Russkie Domoj: Russians Go Home) and free elections. Those two demands were at the heart of the Hungarian Revolution that we students at the Technical University started on that day. Viktor Orban cozying up to Vladimir Putin would and should turn every Hungarians’ stomach. Just to make a point and speaking quite anachronistically, it would be not… Read more »
Dear Joe, I assume Joszef, you appear to have not got a grasp of what a free press actually entails. I find the situation in Hungary today both frightening and dangerous – where Orban’s regime does not facilitate freedom of speech, healthy debate and expression…your reference to “atrocities committed by Muslim migrants” re: the Western media requires elaboration, please. I.e., In the UK there has been significant and balanced press coverage of the so-called Muslim “grooming gangs”…these “grooming gangs” have also been condemed by the vast majority of Muslim faith groups/media in the UK…now then, when a well-known sports journalist gets sacked in Hungary for supporting Gulacsi Peter’s anti-homophobic comments then that’s both frightening and primitive – hardly smacking of free press and definitely not what one would call a flourishing “press freedom.” The earth ain’t flat mate – get over it.
Interesting distortion, JoeW. Can you cite one example of a left medium (online or otherwise) where a claim was made about the ‘lack of freedom’? So far, the Fidesz-critical media here in Magyarország can still function, however most regional newspapers are in Fidesz hands pushing Fidesz propaganda.
Contrary to your claim, the center-right press in Western Europe is not experiencing “increasing censoring by the national governments”. As for so-called “atrocities committed by Muslim migrants”, there is much FAKE NEWS –that term favored by MAGATs [Make America Great Again Trumpists]– such as the lie that Sweden is the rape capital of Europe.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/crime-sweden-rape-capital-europe … SNOPES DEBUNKS THE LIE ABOUT SWEDEN
Muslim crime does exist. What does not exist is a balanced rightwing view of Muslims in Europe. And you dont help.
MAGYARKOZÓ
Tnx for the snopes link.
I tried many “news” on Malmö, most of which came out to be echo chambers. All vids amounted to the same incident of 3-4 cars burning and one aggression by a Somali. With the sudden the influx of 150k people there must be more incidents, but nothing shown.
Heard official mentioning 120 fires in schools in two years and 36(?) hand grenade explosions, but couldn’t find the original source. Fishy.
What is a “Muslim crime”? Crime does not respect religious boundary.
If the Muslim commits a crime whose origin lies within either his faith or social and religious conditioning, that is a different matter. Muslim religious rhetoric may provide the clues.
What lies in the heart of the matter is whether or not the European civilization is ready to depart from its roots and traditions. What do you think the popular sentiment is in this regard? Or should I say, democratic sentiment.
Dear Eva,
may I draw your attention to my new book: Hungary between Democracy and Authoritarianism (Columbia University Press) – London edition at Hurst Publishing. A review would be welcome. PLease contact me also personally: Europ.Rundschau@aon.at
London Calling!
Paul!
Am just reading yr “One Day That Shook the Communist World” – so interesting!
Maybe Eva could review that too?
Regards
Charlie
Dear Eva!
I highly respect all your efforts. Your daily blog and the Charta are both very important to our Country! After I subscribed, a few days ago, you always make my day! Thank you! K.Z.
I have a blog : http://balintafatalista.blogspot.hu/ Do read it and criticize it please. S.B.
Yesterday an interview appeared with me in Népszava: http://www.nepszava.hu/articles/article.php?id=570733
It is about the non-existent coup d’état against Viktor Orbán and the general foreign reaction to him and his regime. I also talked about Hungarian Spectrum and the excellence of those who comment on the site.
A “Well balanced” mutual admiration society….This blog, the Nepszava in Hungary, the Amerikai (Magyar) Mepszava and the Galamus…is there anything to the left of these?
Considering that there is no real left in Hungary your claim is highly misleading. There is a truly leftist (communist) party, the Hungarian Workers Party. They received about 2% of the votes. None of these publications have anything to do with the Workers Party. These newspapers, blogs are moderate left of center publications that also welcome moderate conservative views. The kinds Magyar Nemzet refuses to publish.
This blog provides incredible coverage and analysis of the Orban government. Others whom I have recommended the site to say the same.
I would be interested in reading something about the democratic, non-Socialist opposition (such as it is). Who are they, where did they come from, and (since they are such a small minority) what political tactics are they using/recommending? (I realize that Lehet Más a Politika is the only opposition party in Parliament that is democratic and non-Socialist, so we’d also have to include political forces outside Parliament.)
But I’m also curious which major figures of the democratic opposition of 1990-2010 – politicians like Fodor, Demszky and so on – have remained in politics (or at least in public life), and what they say today. How do they account for the utter implosion of SzDSz and its democratic, Western-oriented political line? What can democratic-minded Hungarians do to regain some sort of political influence?
LMP is anti-free trade. Whether you want to call them socialist or not is your business, but they are not progressive in an economic sense. They fear free trade which is just admission that Hungarians are not up to competing. Can’t support that line of thinking. Their anti-global stance fits nicely with Hungarian xenophobia.
And one more things. The people who are involved in the publications you mention are the representatives of the conscience of the nation who risk their livelihood in defense of Hungarian democracy.
Kovach, It is easy to publish things that support an anti-government in power. It is very easy to praise an authoritarian ruler. THe hard part is to go against injustice. It just happens that you are not a liberal, and from your post it is also clear that you are not fan of democracy that is the foundation of any western democracy, so it is clear that you find all and everyone who fights for the basic values objectionable. In your posts you defended neo-nazi efforts and nazi writers, you questioned basic democratic processes. Your opposing opinion to any publication should serve as an endorsement to said media.
That’s a great idea. I will definitely devote a post to the subject especially since Gábor Fodor and Gábor Kuncze lately made some noises indicating return to politics.
Thank you for the compliment.
Dr. Balogh: “And one more things. The people who are involved in the publications you mention are the representatives of the conscience of the nation who risk their livelihood in defense of Hungarian democracy.”
Yes, like Bartus who could not see an intelligent face during his visit to Hungary. Good example of the “conscience of the nation”!
To Chris S. : You may want to look into Pozsgay’s new publication also.
Former member of the politburo and now adviser to Orban…
Louis, would you mind explaining me what the “left” is? Because you seem to use it like a swearword. What is it? Critics of the FIDESZ government are en bloc left? And while you are at it also explain me please what’s wrong with “left”?
Eva, apologies for jumping in on this thread. There are some stories doing the rounds where people are shouting “three cheers for Hungary kicking out Monsanto!” (e.g. here.)
My first reaction has been alarm that people so vociferously opposed to a company have failed to look past that to the politics behind it. But I’m not sure where this Monsanto policy comes from – is it something new as the government has started combining right wing and Hungary-only policies, or is it something more established that can’t be pinned on Fidesz or any other party?
Another link…
My initial response was: ” ‘Good for hungary’ over Monsanto? Trans: “good for the BNP/EDL for smashing up Tesco! Well done those blackshirts!”
I fear I may have over-reacted! But the blindness on some left / localism types in the UK to the political reality there worries me. I wonder if you have any thoughts?
Thanks,
dan
Louis Kovach: To the left of this? How could anything be more extreme than a blog which praises communist criminals such as Kadar, Gurcsany and other animals? Have you people lost your brains? Wake up for God’s sake! You are supporting mass murderers here!
Dear Eva Balogh
I am looking for an old article of yours. It should have been on the Hungarian Spectrum, but it somehow disappeared from there. The link was http://esbalogh.typepad.com/hungarianspectrum/2008/09/extreme-right-new-right-radical-right-in-hungary.html
Could you be so kind as to mail it to me at the address shafirmchl@yahoo.com or michael.shafir@ubbcluj.ro.
Professor Michael Shafir, Emeritus
Doctoral School for International Relations and Security Studies
Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Eva, I greatly admire your blog.
Please contact me: kramer@american.edu
Thanks,
Robert Kramer
Web site: https://www.american.edu/spa/faculty/kramer.cfm
I am very impressed with this blog and grateful for the efforts of its’ creator. There is so little information and news relating to Hungary in English. I find much of the news about my family’s ancestral homeland depressing these days but I find myself turning to this site regularly and learning a great deal. I have to add that it is a little sad that there seems to be no source of English news coming from serious Hungarian sources or news organizations. It might benefit Hungary to do a better job of relating to the rest of the world if there were. In any case thanks!
I`m grateful for you regular comments on Hungarian politics. Could you be kind and also make some comments on the new land law which is debated in the parliament?
I was planning to write about the land law yesterday but the European Commission and Matolcsy intervened!
And thank you all for your very generous comments about Hungarian Spectrum. I really appreciate them.
Let me suggest a few sites to you. If you scroll down practically to the end of the homepage of Hungarian Spectrum you will find links to English-language publications dealing with Hungary.
For financial and economic news I suggest Portfolio and for politics in general Hungary Around the Clock and Politics.hu
Eva, have you considered adding buttons to allow easy posting of your blog entries on Facebook and other social sites?
Hi Mark, I got inspired by your note and I put up both Tweet and Facebook. Any other suggestions? Thank you.
Eva, I don’t know about the Twitter button, but the Facebook button you installed only let’s you “like” the post. I was suggesting a “share” button that lets you actually link to your blog post on Facebook. https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/dialogs/feed/