Orban is
accused by the US of openly ‘flirting’ with Russia. Likewise, he is also accused in the press of
moving Hungary away from “European Values”. The word out on social networks that
another “color revolution is in the making” in Hungary. The question being asked: is Orban going to
share the same fate as Yanukovych of Ukraine? Simply for not wanting to kowtow
to the US administration’s wishes. Orban has clearly nailed his political colors
to the mast back in the summer; to put
Hungary first & foremost, to care about the sovereignty of Hungary & to
give Hungary a voice of its own choosing, yet at the same remain in NATO’s
& the EU orbit. He vowed to turn his
country into an “illiberal state”. This
does not sit well with the US & EU leaders, simply because it does not fit
into the precepts of what the so called “international community” is about.
The US Administration's line is that Hungary "is on the verge of ceding its sovereignty to a neo-fascist dictator getting in bed with Vladimir Putin" as said by McCain in a Senate meeting on
Tuesday 2nd Dec.
The US Administration's line is that Hungary "is on the verge of ceding its sovereignty to a neo-fascist dictator getting in bed with Vladimir Putin" as said by McCain in a Senate meeting on
Tuesday 2nd Dec.
 |
| Internet image about Hungary: source Twitter |
Orban has
not been shy to voice his concerns with regards to the risky & rash geopolitical
events taking place in the corridors of Washington, Brussels & Moscow. This has made him an easy target for the US,
EU press to label him as being pro-Russian & pro-Putin as well. The US & EU leadership has been looking
for a well-timed excuse to flag up Orban’s lack of democratic credentials. This
they found in the form of an alleged tax corruption ‘scandal’, as well as a
police raid on several NGOs back in September.
At the end
of October, the ruling government in Budapest unwittingly handed their
opponents a golden opportunity, to stir up public discontent. The proposed introduction of an internet tax
charge was sufficient enough to trigger visible public protests at the
beginning of November. The Hungarian
government subsequently back away from the tax proposals, but the protests then
muted into anti-corruption protests. The latest protest on the 17 November was
dubbed "Public Outrage Day" & was attended by tens of thousands
of protesters.
The Hungarian
government has tried to respond to the US complaints of tax corruption. The US charge d’affaires, André Goodfriend, has been invited to clarify
the US position at a parliamentary committee. Yet, the US Administration refuses to divulge
further information on the six Hungarian nationals connected to the Hungarian
government, who have been banned from entering the US. , André Goodfriend is quoted in the press that “he
has refused Hungarian government entreaties to give details, citing U.S.
privacy laws”.
As if on
cue, the MSM press, in unison, has been highly vocal in their criticisms of
Orban’s government; very frequently referring to his supposedly pro-Putin
policies & pro-Russian attitudes. Likewise, Viktor Orban has been conveniently
labelled as some kind of tyrant, with words such as Viktator”, “Orbanistan” &
“The Goulash Archipelago “being used.
A potential
clue as to why protests continue to take place could be the fact that the
Hungarian government has not backed down on its eager support for the South
Stream gas pipeline project, to the dismay of both Washington & Brussels. There is unwillingness on the part of Budapest
to simply toe the US line on severing pro-Russian policies, including that of
the South Stream gas pipeline, reverse flow gas supplies to Ukraine & contracts
for nuclear power plants. Why is this so? well as Orban himself said in November that “we don’t want to move closer to anyone, nor
do we want to distance ourselves from anybody”. This can be clearly glimpsed in his visit to
Azerbaijan on the 11th November, where he said that it is in the interest of
both Hungary and Europe to bring Azerbaijan gas to Central Europe. This went almost unnoticed by the EU press,
apart from a few who saw this as being part of Orban’s “clever games”.
Orban
asserted that, “the presumption that we will fall into the arms of the Russian
bear is pure fear-mongering. We are NATO and EU members.” This message has
fallen on deaf ears in Washington & Brussels. Take for example Victoria
Nuland’s speech in Budapest, in September, where she stated: “"How can you
sleep under your NATO Article 5 blanket at night while pushing ‘illiberal
democracy' by day; whipping up nationalism; restricting free press; or
demonizing civil society?
It remains
to be been seen for how long can Orban face up to the ever increasing pressure being subtly applied by the US
& EU. Although the end of South Stream project was annouced by Russia, it will not prevent Orban from being put under ever increasing scrutiny for "getting into with Putin".
Last word
“He is the
only Putinist governing in the European Union,” said Joschka Fischer, the
former German foreign minister.
Sources:
