Category: Hungary

‘Silver bullet’ needed to bring autocrats to heel

     

New legislation allows Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban to further consolidate power while eroding civil liberties and making it harder to scrutinize how the government spends public funds, the Times… Read more »

Democracy v liberalism? Time to struggle for liberal ideas & institutions

     

The relationship between liberalism and democracy, generally compatible but occasionally tense, is becoming more fraught at both domestic and international levels, observers suggest. The dispute over the rule of law… Read more »

Don’t underestimate resilience of the smart new despotisms

     

The new despotism defies the standard distinction between democracy and authoritarianism, argues John Keane (above), Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney and WZB (Berlin). The “whip-smart resilience” of… Read more »