The Return of the Visegrad Four (V4)

https://apnews.com/article/central-european-leaders-meet-hungary-visegrad-summit-f0171d43c8aa5fbd2f285e42dffae190

This certainly caught my eye. The Visegrad Four (V4) has been basically dead since 2022 and the Ukraine War. The bloc comprised of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia represented a semi-dissident group within the EU. It was receiving particular notice during the years when Orban ruled Hungary, and the PiS was in charge of Poland.

Anti-Semitism and the GOP - Then and Now

https://forward.com/opinion/524649/trump-destroyed-guardrails-against-antisemitism-gorka-kyrie-kanye/

The concept of Anti-Semitism has become confused in our day. There is a kind of three-fold debate over race-based Anti-Semitism associated with Right-wing ideology, Anti-Zionism opposed to the state of Israel and its policies vis-à-vis the Palestinians, and even some other forms of Anti-Semitism which often defy the Left/Right divide, focusing on the corrupt nature of Western Capitalist (or for some Globalist) society and the role Jews play in the banking, academic, and political world - and of course the Hollywood and media-entertainment complexes.

Europe's New Black Nobility and America's Christian Right

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/13/alito-supreme-court-far-right-ties

If you follow Right-wing politics in Europe or even Traditionalist Catholic politics then you're sure to encounter Gloria von Thurn und Taxis. The Guardian article in question provides a quick overview of the circles she inhabits which overlap with those of Samuel Alito. Her activities are not illegal - the article is focusing primarily on the corruption within the US Supreme Court and the ever expanding circles of Right-wing Catholicism.

Orban's Habsburg Dreams in Hungary and Europe

https://www.politico.eu/article/habsburg-empire-viktor-orban-patriots-for-europe-hard-right-european-parliament-hungary-austria-czech-republic/

https://apnews.com/article/viktor-orban-hungary-romania-eu-3ea649669de75d13b0ba3585c0e83239

The lead article alludes to the Habsburg Empire but then proves less than accurate in some of its historical statements. Orban does indeed have Habsburg allies but the article isn't really about the Habsburgs. The article touches on his grand vision, the supposed reconstitution of the Habsburg realm, but the story is really in the numbers. These reveal the rightward shift that's taking place in Europe and (I think) sheds light on Orban's more immediate machinations. It's clear he's thinking a couple of steps ahead, preparing for the next European Parliamentary election in 2029.

Meloni and the Dilemmas of Liberalism

https://www.politico.eu/article/giorgia-meloni-italy-press-journalists-watchdog-media-eu-politics-rule-of-law-report/

Narrative driven political forces willing to play fast and loose with the law inevitably end up with media problems. They don't like being challenged and called out. And there are other times in which such leaders will utilize this constant irritation as an excuse to detract from other pressing problems. So it is with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

The BBC and the Manipulation of Moldovan History

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg330w2x7g3o

As previously stated in other pieces (linked below) - Moldova cannot join the EU unless Transnistria issue is solved. You can't have an unsettled border and join the EU or NATO.

Right-wing Circularity and Cross Pollination

https://www.politico.eu/article/viktor-orban-hungary-culture-war-woke-brussels/

There is a circularity of inspiration for these Right-wing movements. US politicians, movements, and media outlets have inspired the likes of Viktor Orban in Hungary. Given the political climate of his country and its much smaller population, Orban has been successful in actually implementing some of these policies. As such he's become a hero to American Right and now political actors in the US are looking to Orban for inspiration when it comes to their strategies and style.

Fico and the Slovak Media Controversy

https://www.politico.eu/article/slovak-robert-fico-government-shuns-independent-press-wants-turn-public-broadcaster-into-state-run-tv/

*This article was written on 13 May, two days before the assassination attempt which is briefly addressed at the conclusion of this piece.

Brussels has another dissident nation on its hands. On the one hand Slovakia is part of the Visegrad Four (V4), a bloc which has long resisted the EU bureaucracy. But this bloc has been fragmented if not shattered by the war in Ukraine. Poland and the Czech Republic are 'all in' with the EU and NATO, while Hungary and now Slovakia dissent. As such the foreign policy of the bloc is at odds with itself.

Orban's Mouth, the Fourth Reich, and The European Union (EU)

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/czechia-fumes-after-orban-compares-eu-with-hitlers-plans/

The European Union has always been a secularized attempt at rekindling the Holy Roman Empire – and as time has made clear, the 'of the German Nation' is probably more apropos than many would care to admit.

The Habsburg Way of Lying

https://taylormarshall.com/2023/04/981-habsburg-way-interview-eduard-habsburg-dr-taylor-marshall-podcast.html

Listening to Taylor Marshall interview Eduard Habsburg I was struck by many things. In many respects the interview was a waste of time as it had nothing to do with the Christianity of Scripture but was instead an attempt to create an amalgam – to join modern Catholic Integralism (with Throne and Altar Ideology) with modern Liberalism and its democratic regime of rights, the individual and capitalist economics. It doesn't work and the contradictions were on display during this interview – for those paying attention.

Ukraine and Tensions Within the V4

https://www.politico.eu/article/moment-of-truth-for-polish-hungarian-toxic-relationship-approaches/

As regular readers will know, I have been keen for some time to follow the Visegrad Four or V4 group, a faction within the EU. The loose alliance came together as three nations in the early 1990's, and then became four with the Czech-Slovak split. All four nations joined the EU in 2004 – certainly with some mixed feelings. While the four countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary) have never been fully unified, the bloc was established to preserve common interests among these nations of Central (and once 'Eastern') Europe.

Croatia Rewarded: LNG Deals and Schengen Membership

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/austria-croatia-bavaria-team-up-for-adriatic-lng-project/

Croatia was quick to sign up to America's suggestion of creating an LNG infrastructure, and now in this new deal with Austria and Bavaria, that capacity is set to double. Croatia is set to become an energy hub for southern and central Europe as LNG can be brought in via the Adriatic.

A Hero of the Christian Right Opposed to Homeschooling

Lately I've been encountering some articles concerning homeschooling in Hungary. To the surprise of many in the American Right and within the Christian Right – Viktor Orban of Hungary and his government have actually moved to restrict homeschooling.

All Eyes on Italy and Other Pressures Mounting in Europe

On the one hand the manipulations that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine have proven very successful. NATO dissent has been largely quashed and the EU has been brought into a kind of subservience to the US. NATO is set to expand, and the US has forced Europe to shift its energy policy, in ways largely favourable to US interests.

Great Replacement Confusion

The Great Replacement theory appears in various forms and has undergone numerous permutations. For some it's about race, for others it's race on one level, but primarily it's a question of culture.

The European Right is Consolidating

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/far-right-leaders-agree-on-roadmap-for-sovereign-and-patriotic-europe/

While a formal bloc has not yet been created, a unified agenda is coming together. This represents an early phase, a kind of proto-fascist bloc beginning to form within the EU.

The Evangelical Pasztor

https://apnews.com/4296b5c0a5b2fe876b89f1c96ba7906c

This AP article ran in our local paper and since it mentioned Evangelicals it caught my eye. And then I was rather taken aback when I saw the Evangelical point man they chose to interview was none other than Laszlo Pasztor.

German Tanks for Orban

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/07/31/Hungary-upgrades-military-with-delivery-of-German-tanks/4891596226305/

The weapons trade represents a form of diplomacy that trumps all. Countries that cultivate the industry are desperate to promote it and are often willing to sell arms – even to nations and governments that they would otherwise frown upon. Avarice drives the trade but at the same time there are political reasons for selling arms. It's an element to the industry that's often overlooked.

Orban's Flirtations with Hungarian Dictatorship

https://unherd.com/2020/05/how-viktor-orban-plays-his-enemies/

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/27/862925730/hungary-says-it-will-end-state-of-emergency-giving-orban-power-to-rule-by-decree

Everyone has an angle on Covid-19. For some it provides opportunities to push the envelope of power and Hungary's Viktor Orban has done just that. In light of Orban's attempt to seize emergency powers, cries of dictatorship prevailed and the EU started to take further action against the wayward government in Budapest.

Hungary, Italy and Christian Democracy

http://abouthungary.hu/blog/pm-orban-in-rome-liberalism-is-over-its-time-for-christian-democracy/

Christian Democracy means different things to different people. For some the movement is (as it is democratic) grounded within the liberal tradition. For others it represents a hybrid between traditionalist societal models and modern liberalism – a compromise of sorts.