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November 10, 2020 - 7:00am
Last month, Joe Biden sparked controversy by seeming to describe the governments of Hungary and Poland as “totalitarian”. Whether he did or didn’t is a moot point — as Peter Franklin explained — but the chances are he really will be coming for Hungary, or rather, for Viktor Orbán.
The President-elect’s interest in Hungary is no passing fad. Biden’s love affair with Hungary goes back to 1976 when he and second wife, Jill, spent their honeymoon at Lake Balaton. The visit was facilitated by Biden’s close friend, Hungarian-born emigre Representative Tom Lantos: the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the United States Congress. There is more than sentimental value at stake here though.
The details of the Biden family’s business connections to Ukraine have been hotly debated, but one thing is certain: they are substantial. Hungary is presently crossing those interests via its stance on Ukraine’s security. For months Orbán has been blocking Ukraine’s NATO accession process — using Hungary’s veto on the latter as leverage in a dispute with Kiev over the welfare of Ukraine’s Hungarian minority.
Orbán’s own attitude to Ukraine’s territorial integrity worries some observers. The symbolic irredentism of Fidesz’s own rhetoric concerning the border region of Sub-Carpathia has increased markedly in the wake of Russian annexation of Crimea and the separatist struggles in Donetsk and Luhansk.
The real danger to Orbán may, however, come less from the new American President and more from members of his team. Biden is expected to appoint his campaign Foreign Policy Advisor, Anthony (‘Tony’) Blinken, to the post of either Secretary of State or White House National Security Advisor — roles Blinken had deputised during Biden’s own Vice Presidency.
Not only is Blinken half-Hungarian, on his mother Judith’s side, but Blinken’s father (Donald, as it happens) was US Ambassador in Budapest 1994-98. Donald, together with Tony’s stepmother Vera (also Hungarian) gave his name, and a substantial ‘permanent endowment’, to the Donald and Vera Blinken Open Society Archive (OSA) at Budapest’s Central European University.
OSA remained CEUs toe-hold in Budapest after Orbán’s government forced relocation of teaching activities to Vienna in 2019. Blinken Sr. remains an active emeritus member of CEU’s Board of Trustees.
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SubscribeBiden is bad news for any person or country that believes in freedom, democracy and self-determination. A very evil man.
Indeed – were he not senile and thus no longer responsible for his actions, he should certainly be in jug. But like Polonius, whom he resembles, he should be “shut up in’ own house” to play the fool – not in the Oval Office.
That strikes me as being a little unfair on Polonius, who was nothing more than a fool. Biden, in contrast, is very dangerous and very unpleasant.
Quite so.
He seems quite a decent man on the meagre knowledge i have. What do i know though. I guess time will tell.
Biden is bad news for every country. But worse still will be when Camels Arris takes over. Within a year Biden will be stood down on health grounds and Camels Arris will take over. You could see what was happening when she was named is running mate. Biden is a patsy, a dupe.
That’s a poor nickname for the VP-elect. Sleepy Joe has a nice roll to it, but Camels is neither rhyming nor ethnically accurate, i.e. a bit too Egyptian cliché to satirise an Indian, methinks.
Interference in the affairs of a foreign sovereign democracy is only too typical of today’s left – unless, of course, it is Zimbabwe with millions impoverished and thousands slaughtered; or Ethiopia in the eighties; or Iran, busily sponsoring terror and instability. No, these countries are ignored or enabled; it’s only if you try to stem the flow of unsustainable migration that senile cheats like Biden will come after you.
“The details of the Biden family’s business connections to Ukraine have been hotly debated, but one thing is certain: they are substantial. Hungary is presently crossing those interests via its stance on Ukraine’s security.”
The implication here is that Biden will use US power against Hungary because it’s policies have threatened his family’s business in Ukraine. That can’t be right though, I definitely saw all over the news that the world is now returning to ‘decency’ now that St Joe has came to save us all from that nasty Mr Trump.
If Victor is losing any sleep worrying about Sleepy Joe I will eat my goulash in my hat!
Yeah, Hungary needs Biden like a fish needs a bicycle.
I wonder how long will elapse before Mr. Biden is replaced by his VP, which I suspect was the plan all along.
Funny how so many people who used to be so upset at US interference in foreign countries now seem so in favour of it