Wie die Opposition Orbán besiegen konnte: Runter vom Feld der Neuen Rechten Viktor Orbán hat Ungarn in einen autoritären Staat umgebaut. Seine Abwahl zeigt, wie auch tief verankerte autoritäre Systeme besiegt werden können.

"Zur Gewinnerstrategie gehört, Kulturkämpfe links liegen zu lassen und sich stur mit der realen Realität zu beschäftigen."

Péter Magyar introduced Hungary’s future Foreign Minister, Anita Orbán, to Donald Tusk and added with a smile:

— The surname is just a coincidence, they’re not related

Tusk replied:

— Well, my name is Donald, after all!

Opinion | An Academic Miracle

"What they need, in every department, are more ... people with a capacity to change their minds intelligently. Selecting for those virtues, particularly in faculty hiring, is a long-term task."

So how does that faculty interview go exactly?

Opinion | An Academic Miracle

"It shouldn’t take blunt political pressure to get universities to reform and redeem themselves. Here’s hoping they can act before they are acted upon."

Now there's a threat.

Gumbrechts schlechter Rat an die Geisteswissenschaften Hat man im geisteswissenschaftlichen Studium nicht gelernt, Leben und Werk auseinanderzuhalten? Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht fällt das bei der Selbstbetrachtung erstaunlich schwer, seinem Pathos der „Halbdis...

'Die Tatsache, dass die Studentenzahlen der Geisteswissenschaften rapide sinken, macht diese Wissenschaften nicht obsolet, und die Reduktion auf Tagespolitik oder „Superstars“ ist keine Rettung, sondern eine Flucht ins Diffuse, Ungenaue und Vorübergehende.'

‘The Third Reich of Dreams’ Review: Nightmare of History As the Nazi regime took hold in Germany, a Jewish journalist in Berlin collected accounts of the dream lives of others—and smuggled them out of the country.

Has anyone been trying to collect accounts of dreams under Trump 2.0?

Opinion | The Four Lessons Liberals Should Consider After Orban’s Defeat

"...Orbanism emerged initially as a popular reaction to the impositions of the European Union..."

There is zero evidence that anyone ever voted FOR Orbán because of the EU.

There is plenty of evidence that people voted AGAINST Orbán because of the EU.

Hungary’s Counter-Counterrevolution István Rév explains why Viktor Orbán fell after 16 years of entrenched illiberal rule – and how Péter Magyar toppled him.

'...big German companies, such as Bosch and Siemens, also availed themselves of the Hungarian government’s largess. In a sense, Orbán took Germany hostage, which guaranteed then-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s inaction. Orbán was just too important to the German economy to be allowed to fail.'

‘The Third Reich of Dreams’ Review: Nightmare of History As the Nazi regime took hold in Germany, a Jewish journalist in Berlin collected accounts of the dream lives of others—and smuggled them out of the country.

Has anyone been trying to collect accounts of dreams under Trump 2.0?

Hungary’s Counter-Counterrevolution István Rév explains why Viktor Orbán fell after 16 years of entrenched illiberal rule – and how Péter Magyar toppled him.

'...big German companies, such as Bosch and Siemens, also availed themselves of the Hungarian government’s largess. In a sense, Orbán took Germany hostage, which guaranteed then-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s inaction. Orbán was just too important to the German economy to be allowed to fail.'

Opinion | The Four Lessons Liberals Should Consider After Orban’s Defeat

"...Orbanism emerged initially as a popular reaction to the impositions of the European Union..."

There is zero evidence that anyone ever voted FOR Orbán because of the EU.

There is plenty of evidence that people voted AGAINST Orbán because of the EU.

Les audiences des chaînes d’ino depuis janvier 2025 : chute spectaculaire de CNews, remontées de BFMTV et LCI, Franceinfo à la traîne.

La chute spectaculaire de CNews ne doit pas éclipser l’autre information de ce graphique : l’incapacité du service public audiovisuel avec Franceinfo à s’imposer aux chaînes privées tant il suit la pente du conformisme et de la bollorisation. @alexislevrier.bsky.social

Only US Votes Against Women’s Rights Document At UN Commission - Health Policy Watch President of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock told the opening of CSW that the backlash against women's rights "feels as though we are forced to

For the first time in decades, consensus broke at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The United States cast the lone “no” vote on a document aimed at improving justice systems for women and girls worldwide. Misogyny is the official policy of the US under Trump.

Wie Viktor Orbáns Machtapparat zusammenbricht In Budapest jubeln die Unterstützer von Peter Magyar. Nur den reibungslosen Machtwechsel finden sie verdächtig: Was, wenn Orbán schon an seiner Rückkehr arbeitet?

'Ein Mann auf der Straße sagt: „Der Sturz des Sozialismus ist den Ungarn mehr passiert, der Impuls ist von außen gekommen.“ Im Jahr 2026 ist es das Volk selbst, das den Wechsel vollzieht und Geschichte schreibt.'

Hungary’s Counter-Counterrevolution István Rév explains why Viktor Orbán fell after 16 years of entrenched illiberal rule – and how Péter Magyar toppled him.

'Orbán waged a long-running war against Hungary’s cultural and academic institutions. As one of his advisers and lobbyists in Brussels, Frank Füredi...put it: “The most important theater of the cultural war is the war on the past.”'

Excellent analysis by a great Hungarian historian:

Hungary’s Counter-Counterrevolution István Rév explains why Viktor Orbán fell after 16 years of entrenched illiberal rule – and how Péter Magyar toppled him.

'Orbán waged a long-running war against Hungary’s cultural and academic institutions. As one of his advisers and lobbyists in Brussels, Frank Füredi...put it: “The most important theater of the cultural war is the war on the past.”'

Excellent analysis by a great Hungarian historian:

People incessantly photographing this.

Palantir on X: "Because we get asked a lot. The Technological Republic, in brief. 1. Silicon Valley owes a moral debt to the country that made its rise possible. The engineering elite of Silicon Valley has an affirmative obligation to participate in the defense of the nation. 2. We must rebel" / X Because we get asked a lot. The Technological Republic, in brief. 1. Silicon Valley owes a moral debt to the country that made its rise possible. The engineering elite of Silicon Valley has an affirmative obligation to participate in the defense of the nation. 2. We must rebel

Apart from all the cliches, main message appears to be:

Please pardon, please forgive us.

Apropos Al Bano giving a concert in Ru even now.

Would be interesting to have a polit-cultural study of the long Russian after-life of a certain type of 80s music.

Though not as urgent as studying the politics of Eurovision, of course.

People incessantly photographing this.

Salvini: Mando un abbraccio a Viktor Orban, un amico e un patriota - Il video (Agenzia Vista) Milano, 18 aprile 2026 ""Il movimento dei patrioti non è un movimento politico, è una famiglia. È una comunità. E in una comunità quando qualcuno ha un momento di difficoltà, le mani di migliaia di amici si allungano per confortarlo e aiutarlo a rialzarsi. L’abbraccio mio e di tutta Piazza del Duomo a […]

Salvini: Mando un abbraccio a Viktor Orban, un amico e un patriota – Il video

Paul Theroux · Gun Love Seeing my serious Chinese-made firearm, Haruki Murakami once said to me: ‘You’re the only writer I know who has a...

‘Shooting demands such concentration that it seems to me the perfect recreation for a writer, a relief from sitting at a desk and – as I am doing now – trying to imagine the next sentence.’

Paul Theroux on his guns.

www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Apropos Al Bano giving a concert in Ru even now.

Would be interesting to have a polit-cultural study of the long Russian after-life of a certain type of 80s music.

Though not as urgent as studying the politics of Eurovision, of course.

👇

The fake news Rod Dreher "fell for" was that Péter Magyar mast*rbated in front of his three young sons and that he put a puppy in the microwave. I wish I were joking.

Trump, IRS In Talks To Settle U.S. President's $10 Billion Lawsuit Trump's adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization are also plaintiffs.

Trump is reported close to a "deal" with himself under which US taxpayers would pay him $10 billion.

I served in multiple communist and authoritarian dictatorships, but I never witnessed corruption on this scale or this blatant.

Prost, ihr Lieben!

'Die Erzählung, dass dieses Regime den magischen Trick beherrscht, den demokratischen Kuchen sowohl haben als auch ihn autokratisch verspeisen zu können, ohne dass dagegen irgendjemand rechtlich oder politisch effektiv etwas ausrichten kann – diese Erzählung ist widerlegt.'

Wie Viktor Orbáns Machtapparat zusammenbricht In Budapest jubeln die Unterstützer von Peter Magyar. Nur den reibungslosen Machtwechsel finden sie verdächtig: Was, wenn Orbán schon an seiner Rückkehr arbeitet?

'Ein Mann auf der Straße sagt: „Der Sturz des Sozialismus ist den Ungarn mehr passiert, der Impuls ist von außen gekommen.“ Im Jahr 2026 ist es das Volk selbst, das den Wechsel vollzieht und Geschichte schreibt.'

Commission of Fine Arts votes to move ahead with Trump's proposed victory arch The seven-member body, whose ranks are composed of Trump appointees, was expected to approve the arch. The proposed monument strongly resembles Paris' Arc de Triomphe, but almost 100 feet taller.

"The committee noted that of approximately 1,000 public comments submitted prior to the vote, nearly every one voiced opposition to the proposed arch and its size. The outlying individual submitted an alternate design."

Democrats Need to Solve the Tactical Problems with Impeachment before Relying on It - emptywheel Democrats are gung ho to use impeachment if and when they win back the House. But before they do that, they need to rebut the tactical means Trump used to stonewall in 2019.

"I’m all in favor of using impeachment...but tell me first how you’re going to coerce the admin to provide documents and testimony, a problem that undermined every effort to impose accountability in 2019."

@emptywheel.bsky.social comments on my George Conway pod:
emptywheel.net/2026/04/17/d...