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Tucker Carlson speaks during the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) Feszt on August 7, 2021 in Esztergom, Hungary. The multiday political event was organized by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), a privately managed foundation that had recently received more than $1.7 billion in government money and assets. The leader of its main board is Balazs Orban, who is not related to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, but was a state secretary in the prime minister's office at the time and currently serves as his political director. Balazs Orban said at the time that MCC's priority is promoting "patriotism" among the next generation of Hungary's leaders. In the foreground of the photo is a woman, seen from behind, holding a dog and wearing a red hat that, according to another photo in the series, says, "Tucker MAGA." (Photo by Janos Kummer/Getty Images)

Tucker Carlson, Viktor Orbán and the Anti-Democracy Playbook

Americans should pay attention to how Hungary lost its democracy, as their own leaders on the right embrace a similar course.
A large banner reads "2022 CPAC Hungary." Viktor Orban stands at a podium and addresses a crowd, standing between an American and a Hungarian flag.

The Global Far-Right Authoritarian Alliance Threatening US Democracy – And How to Weaken It

Authoritarians across the globe are collaborating. To counter them, those interested in protecting democracy must do the same.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stands behind a podium as he addresses the parliament to mark the opening of the new legislative year, in the stark white hall of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on October 1, 2022. Erdogan warned that Turkey would not ratify the NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland until the two Nordic countries "kept" promises they had made to Ankara. (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s Erdoğan Deploys Sweden and Finland’s NATO Membership Bids to Further His Repression

Any accession deal must ensure the potential newest members don’t flout the rule of law that helps underpin the strength of the alliance.

US, EU Face Higher Hurdles Now for Action Against Orbán’s Tightening Grip in Hungary

His landslide re-election and Russia's war on Ukraine makes pushback on the region's autocratization harder -- and more needed -- than ever.
(L-R) Germany's Social Democratic SPD outgoing party co-leader Norbert Walter-Borjans, designated German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, parliamentary group leader of Germany's social democratic SPD party Rolf Muetzenich, Germany's Social Democratic SPD party co-leader Saskia Esken, co-leader of Germany's The Greens (Die Gruenen) party and designated Minister for Economy and Climate Robert Habeck, Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader and designated Finance Minister Christian Lindner, parliamentary group co-leader of Germany's The Greens (Die Gruenen) party Katrin Goering-Eckardt (hidden), Federal Party Secretary of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and designated Transport Minister Volker Wissing, co-leader of Germany's The Greens (Die Gruenen) party and designated Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and parliamentary group co-leader of Germany's The Greens (Die Gruenen) party Anton Hofreiter pose on stage after a signing ceremony in Berlin on December 7, 2021, where leading members of Germany's social democratic SPD party, the Greens and the free democratic FDP party sealed their coalition deal to form a new government. Olaf Scholz led his Social Democrats to victory against Angela Merkel's conservative CDU-CSU bloc in an landmark election in September 2021, as the veteran chancellor prepared to leave politics after four consecutive terms in office. (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)

How Germany’s New Government Might Pursue Its “Values-Based” Foreign Policy in Europe

It aims to show that sticking to principles on the one hand and seeking constructive dialogue on the other are not mutually exclusive.
This picture shows detainees inside the soundproof glass dock of the courtroom during the trial of 700 defendants, including Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, widely known as Shawkan, in the capital Cairo, on Sept. 8, 2018. Shawkan, who earlier that year received UNESCO's World Freedom Prize, was sentenced to five years in prison. He had been arrested in 2013 while covering a demonstration. Including time served, he was finally freed in March 2019, but required to be under police supervision for five more years.

When US Security and Democracy Interests Clash

How to break six common and unhelpful patterns in US engagement with security partners that abuse rights or democratic standards.
Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission and representatives of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI or TSI) takes part in a TSI Summit, on September 18, 2018 at the Cotroceni Palace, the Romanian Presidency headquarters in Bucharest. Delegates sit around a large round table, and press can be seen taking photos and video behind many of the delegates.

Safeguarding Democracy Among Eastern Europe’s Three Seas

With EU and US help, the Three Seas Initiative can resist Russia's and China's designs on the region by promoting transparency, prosperity, and development.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks with Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during a round table meeting during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, on December 10, 2020. They stand talking, not actually sitting at the table. They all wear face masks. Behind them a wall is covered with a banner reading “European Council.”

Polish Government’s Attacks on Rule of Law Violate Not Only EU Norms but International Law

The repeated violations of fundamental rights and principles corrode the very foundations of the democracy Poland fought so hard to win.
A billboard shows Chinese President Xi Jinping next to the National Assembly building in Belgrade on March 30, 2020, as Serbia has introduced curfew from 5 pm to 5 am (from 3 pm to 5 am on weekends) for entire population except those authorised and night shift workers.

Beware a China-Russia Nexus in Central Europe Amid US-EU Neglect

A transatlantic response must document the threat, make it a priority, and convey that observing international law and established norms is non-negotiable.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban leaves following a meeting during the second day of a special European Council summit in Brussels on February 21, 2020 held to discuss the next long-term budget of the European Union (EU). Staff and reporters surround him.

The EU Should Quarantine its Autocrats

The Hungarian and Polish governments’ exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic for their own ends poses a significant challenge for the EU with consequences that will be present…
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is seen on a laptop screen photographed in a flat in Budapest, as he makes an announcement from his office of the Carmelite monastery at the Buda Castle, broadcasted over the internet, on April 9, 2020, as the government extended the partial curfew for an indefinite time in Budapest.

Hungary Should Not Become Patient Zero

Hungarians now face a double threat: Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, we also have to step up the fight against illiberal contagion.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (C) walks near other representatives during a vote about the government's bill on the protection against the new coronavirus COVID-19 at the plenary session of the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest, Hungary on March 30, 2020.

Threats to Democracy Spread with the Virus, We Must Keep Both in Check

In Hungary, the parliament has lost the ability to check the power of Viktor Orbán and his executive branch.
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