New Caesars: Hungary Edition, Part I

A journey from the Habsburg and Austro-Hungarian Empires through the Orbán Revolution

The theoretical discussion of the New Caesarism is well and good, but the case studies are where it comes to life.¹

Let’s begin by having a look at the top news about Hungary today:

Brussels recommends freezing €7.5 billion in EU funds to Hungary over rule of law concerns:

Budapest had until November 19 to pass 17 reforms negotiated with the EU's executive over the summer in order to avoid the freeze threatened by Brussels as part of its rule of law mechanism. “While a number of reforms have been undertaken or are underway, Hungary failed to adequately implement central aspects of the necessary 17 remedial measures ... as it had committed to,” the Commission said. (See the full report here.)

Orban says Hungary will stick to veto of EU-Ukraine aid plan.

Hungary’s prime minister said Friday that he will continue to oppose a European Union plan to provide an €18 billion aid package to Ukraine in 2023, a position that promises sustained tensions as the bloc and the nationalist Hungarian govern…