Tibor Dessewffy is the Director of the Digital Sociology Research Center at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. He is an ECFR Council Member.
Hungary’s election on April 12th could unseat Viktor Orban after 16 years in power. Even if Orban does cling on, the improbable run of opposition leader Peter Magyar still holds lessons for Europe’s mainstream
Behind the European far-right’s success is an identity politics that gives voters a sense of belonging. Europe’s liberal forces need to offer a credible alternative
Orban’s latest defiance of EU values—the banning of Pride—comes as Hungary’s economy flails, the opposition gains, and Washington will no longer oppose. It could be the push the EU needs to figure out how to work around Budapest
The Trump-Zelensky Oval Office meeting laid bare what “the end of the post-Berlin Wall era” really means—now, the EU needs to change with the times
There is a new kid on the block in Budapest, but it remains to be seen whether Peter Magyar can break 14 years of Orban rule
Europeans should take seriously the thinking of figures such as John Mearsheimer. If they are unable to answer his critiques, they might thereby prove his point
Anti-EU posters have again flooded the streets of Budapest. Hungary’s ‘actually existing populism’ can help explain why this hate ritual is becoming a tradition
Viktor Orban has had 12 years to learn how to circumvent democratic reforms. The European Commission should bide its time in assessing whether to suspend funding to Hungary
The EU should not fall for Orban’s attempts to distance himself from Putin. The Hungarian leader may now present himself as a pillar of European unity but, fundamentally, he has not changed
Viktor Orbán may reject the EU’s way of doing things. But the political maelstrom he has helped unleash could equally see him floored
Hungary’s election on April 12th could unseat Viktor Orban after 16 years in power. Even if Orban does cling on, the improbable run of opposition leader Peter Magyar still holds lessons for Europe’s mainstream
Behind the European far-right’s success is an identity politics that gives voters a sense of belonging. Europe’s liberal forces need to offer a credible alternative
Orban’s latest defiance of EU values—the banning of Pride—comes as Hungary’s economy flails, the opposition gains, and Washington will no longer oppose. It could be the push the EU needs to figure out how to work around Budapest
The Trump-Zelensky Oval Office meeting laid bare what “the end of the post-Berlin Wall era” really means—now, the EU needs to change with the times
There is a new kid on the block in Budapest, but it remains to be seen whether Peter Magyar can break 14 years of Orban rule
Europeans should take seriously the thinking of figures such as John Mearsheimer. If they are unable to answer his critiques, they might thereby prove his point
Anti-EU posters have again flooded the streets of Budapest. Hungary’s ‘actually existing populism’ can help explain why this hate ritual is becoming a tradition
Viktor Orban has had 12 years to learn how to circumvent democratic reforms. The European Commission should bide its time in assessing whether to suspend funding to Hungary
The EU should not fall for Orban’s attempts to distance himself from Putin. The Hungarian leader may now present himself as a pillar of European unity but, fundamentally, he has not changed
Viktor Orbán may reject the EU’s way of doing things. But the political maelstrom he has helped unleash could equally see him floored
Tibor Dessewffy on how Orbán was defeated during Hungary election 2026
Orbán has posed a dilemma to EU ambassadors
Tibor Dessewffy analyzes how Hungary’s challenge to European values is forcing the EU to rethink its internal response to dissent
Tibor Dessewffy analysis for TIME on Victor Orban and American Republicans
Economically, China uses Hungary as a strategic gateway to exploit EU market opportunities, while politically, it effectively applies a divide-and-conquer strategy
Tibor Dessewfffy analyses the partnership between Xi and Orbán
In his op-ed, Tibor Dessewffy explains what the Xi-Orbán partnership means for the EU