Rule by the rich may look inevitable, but history shows it’s not. From ancient Greece to New Deal America to today’s Hungary, democracies have found ways to separate private fortunes from public power.
Hungary
Posted inBooks
The Price of a Lost Russia: A Correspondent’s Eulogy
More than three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the promise of a democratic Russia has given way to something much darker—and far more durable.
Posted inPolitics
How Viktor Orbán Got Rolled by His Own Gerrymander
The Hungarian strongman’s electoral manipulations created a system so volatile that a modest popular swing wiped out his supermajority.
Posted inPolitics
JD Vance Is the Most Mistreated Vice President Since … Well, The Last Two
The vice president’s humiliations in Budapest and Islamabad raise the question: Why did Trump set him up to fail?
Posted inPolitics
As Ukraine Fights, Echoes of Historic Meetings in Yalta and Helsinki Abound
Some 80 years ago, Roosevelt and Churchill were at their meeting with Stalin. Thirty years later, the Helsinki Accords helped doom the Iron Curtain. Here’s what we can learn on their anniversaries.
Posted inApril/May/June 2022
Can Diverse Democracies Survive?
Without the glue of a shared national narrative, probably not.
Posted inFeatured, Political Animal, Politics
How Viktor Orbán Is Taking Advantage of the Coronavirus Crisis
The Hungarian leader looks upon a global pandemic and sees nothing but selfish opportunity.
Posted inPolitical Animal
We Used to Oppose the Rise of Authoritarianism in Europe
When Viktor Orbán was elected in 2010, the Obama administration rallied to contain his influence. Trump invited him to the White House.
Posted inPolitical Animal
Steve Bannon Wants to Lead Fascist Movement in Europe
In what Bannon calls ‘The Movement,’ he plans to unite the far-right in a continent-wide, white nationalist insurgency.
