U.S. Should Strengthen Relationship with Hungary
By Tibor Nagy - July 16, 2023
I’ve
written before on the unfortunate “selective hypocrisy” in US foreign
policy - perhaps no US international relationship better illustrates
this than how the Biden administration treats Hungary under Prime
Minister Viktor Orbán.
This Summer my family and I arrived in
Budapest just days after US Ambassador David Pressman caused a local
media storm by giving a blistering Pride Month speech lambasting
Hungary’s alleged anti LGBTQ+ policies. Even as Ambassador Pressman was
speaking a number of Pride related events were going on in Budapest
totally unhindered.
The US also routinely criticizes Hungary’s
overall conservative oriented policy framework. The nation has the
toughest anti-immigrant policies in the European Union and declares
openly that it has no intention of integrating large numbers of migrants
into the national fabric; Hungary unashamedly embraces its Christian
heritage; it promotes the values of the nuclear family through
pro-family economic policies; and, despite its NATO membership, Hungary
maintains close economic ties to Russia – while taking in around 10,000
Ukrainian refugees daily. It is also doing more and more business with
China, including the building of one of the largest battery factories in
Europe.
So, let’s put these factors into perspective. While the
US with its large, multi-ethnic population has chosen a path of
secularism, diversity and inclusion – and let’s not forget our own
debates over social issues – Hungary, a small mono-ethnic nation, is
choosing another path by preserving its “Hungarian-ness.” Sovereignty
means that nations have a right to safeguard their borders and determine
who does, or does not, get in. Just because America is unwilling or
incapable of protecting our own borders and having a clear immigration
policy does not mean that others must copy our folly. Of all the Orbán
Government’s policies, its strict border controls are highly popular
across the national political spectrum. And Hungary’s history is a major
factor affecting this immigration policy - the nation served as
Europe’s gatekeeper for centuries, standing in the way of conquering
waves from the East. It was overrun by Mongol invaders in the 13th
century who killed about 40% of the population and endured being a
Turkish colony for 150 years.
Sovereignty also means that nations
can determine their cultural and social values. There are certainly
core human rights applicable universally – but our Administration’s
approach is that anything we deem a “human right” must be accepted by
every other nation, immaterial of their own history or culture. And
let’s remember – the American people are also split on these
fast-evolving topics. It’s also strange that US and other Western
critics have problems with Hungary’s close association with
Christianity, while we have positive relations with most nations that
have “Islamic” in their name, and we strongly support Israel with its
obvious Jewishness. While mosques operate freely in Hungary, and the
nation takes pride in supporting its synagogues, try holding a Christian
service in much of the Middle East without severe penalties. As for the
points raised by Ambassador Pressman against Hungary’s LGBTQ+ record,
Hungary’s environment is more restrictive than ours, but consider the
ongoing debate in the US concerning this issue. We’re certainly not the
“United” States on this!
Hungary’s continuing cordial ties to
Russia and openness to China are problematic, but here again history and
geography matter. Instead of using a megaphone to criticize how about
offering alternatives? I ran into the same situation with multiple
African countries while serving as US Assistant Secretary of State – we
would tell them to not buy Chinese communications equipment or Russian
weapons, and when they said “what is the US offering” we had no good
answer.
Hungary’s domestic politics are also harshly criticized
by our Administration and the European Union. Charges include an abuse
of power by the Orbán Government, high level corruption, using the
State’s resources and gerrymandering to win elections, a biased media,
etc. These are certainly concerning issues, but let’s also look in the
mirror. How about our former and current Presidents’ and Supreme Court
justices’ ethical problems? How about Maryland’s bizarre congressional
districts which guarantee that no Republican can be elected to Congress,
and some other states where Democrats are disadvantaged? Is there any
serving politician anywhere who doesn’t maximize incumbency to assure
continued election wins? And look at the just released Gallup survey
showing how negatively Americans view our major institutions, especially
the Media and Congress! And is it the Orbán government’s fault that the
opposition – which does rule most cities - is fractured among small and
narrow parties, and its leaders are less than stellar?
Our
relationship with Hungary should be one of our strongest anywhere. The
country is strategically located, and its highly educated and
industrious people have a long history of supporting and appreciating
America. But our schizoid policy of jumping from Republican
administrations which admire the Orbán Government, to Democratic ones
blacklisting it, means that we are driving the Hungarians further into
the arms of Russia and China. Hungarians and Americans have different
histories, values, and perspectives on the World, and it will remain so,
but isn’t that what diversity and inclusion are? As Mathew 7 states:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay
no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your
brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time
there is a plank in your own eye?”
Ambassador Tibor Nagy was
most recently Assistant Secretary of State for Africa after serving as
Texas Tech’s Vice Provost for International Affairs and a 30-year career
as a US Diplomat. Follow him on Twitter @TiborPNagyJr