Is the Biden White House laying the groundwork for regime change in Hungary?
This month, Samantha Power, a longtime liberal fixture in Democrat administrations who is currently serving as administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), paid a visit to Budapest.
While Power was in Hungary with the alleged aim of promoting “independent media” and combating “corruption,” her track record as a rabid left-wing idealist on international affairs and Washington’s pattern of orchestrating media- and activism-driven “color revolutions” in other countries suggests their intentions in Budapest are not so benign.
After all, Hungary is home to one national leader whom the globalist establishment has long targeted: Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Power, who served as Ambassador to the United Nations under Barack Obama, was in Hungary in her capacity as USAID chief from February 9-10. A press release from the agency prior to her arrival stated that the aim of the trip was to “support independent Hungarian partner organizations working to protect the rule of law, strengthen democratic institutions and civil society, and support independent media.”
A release published after her visit summarized Power’s activities while in the Central European country:
The Administrator highlighted USAID’s newly launched work to help support democracy in Central Europe, including by bolstering civil society and helping independent media thrive and build new audiences. Administrator Power also held a meeting with advocates for human rights and LGBTQI+ communities, where they discussed the experiences of LGBTQI+ people in Hungary and their efforts to increase understanding, support marginalized groups, and improve the lives of LGBTQI+ people in Hungary. The Administrator emphasized that the United States will continue to stand as an ally with LGBTQI+ people and all marginalized groups in their struggle for equality.
The Administrator met with Hungarian independent journalists and representatives of media-focused NGOs to discuss their commitment to reporting on issues of critical importance and views on how to address significant challenges to media freedom. They also discussed opportunities for expanding audiences and establishing sustainable revenue streams.
That Power was there to advocate for the LGBT cause isn’t surprising. The “international community” has been up in arms due to the policies of Prime Minister Orban and his Fidesz Party, which have included legislation prohibiting LGBT and trans propaganda from being presented to minors.
Among the voices that called Orban out for the laws after they were passed was Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is funded by the U.S. government.
Despite the pushback from globalist elites, Orban remained firm, defending the laws with the argument that “education in schools must not be in conflict with the will of parents; it must at most be supplementary, its form and content must be clearly defined and it must be subject to parental consent” and that “parents also rightly expect that on platforms used by our children, pornography, sexuality for its own sake, homosexuality and gender reassignment programs should not be available.”
Notably, the laws do not interfere with the private practices of consenting adults but are only aimed at protecting children.
With war raging in Ukraine, Hungary has again come under globalist scrutiny because of Orban’s position on the conflict. The Hungarian PM has called on Ukraine to call it quits.
The European Union, taking issue with Orban’s right-wing positions on everything from migrants to clamping down on George Soros-aligned NGOs, recently penalized Hungary, freezing billions of euros because the country’s government has allegedly undermined democracy.
The move prompted Croatian President Zoran Milanović to come out in support of Hungary, contending that the EU is overstepping its powers.
USAID’ claim that Power was in Hungary to promote “independent” journalism furthers the popular narrative among Orban detractors that the government under Fidesz censors the press and controls the media.
Boris Kalnoky, a correspondent for Germany’s Die Welt and the director of the media school at Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Budapest, counters that belief in an in-depth essay on Hungary’s media culture.
Kalnoky writes:
Describing the media market as being fully dominated by the governing party gives a very incomplete view of the story. The Hungarian media landscape has remained pluralistic, critical voices remain influential, and the spectrum of published political opinion remains broad. The biggest TV channel, German-owned RTL, is critical of the government. So is the biggest daily tabloid, Blikk, owned by Swiss publishing house Ringier, whose online edition ranks among the top four in digital ratings on most days. The biggest political weekly magazine is independent Hvg. The biggest political broadsheet is left-wing Népszava. Of the four biggest news portals — apart from Blikk — two are very critical of the government (24.hu and Telex.hu). Index.hu, under its new owners, has become more government-friendly, but not a propaganda instrument. Only Origo.hu is a decidedly pro-government news portal.
These are the most recent statistics: in September 2021, the most-viewed news site was the independent, politically critical portal 24.hu with almost 3.6 million real users. Second, third and fourth were centrist Index.hu, pro-government Origo. hu and the foreign-owned, politically independent website of the Swiss-owned tabloid Blikk, each with around 3.3 million real users.
Of course, for the leftist-globalists, journalism is only “free” and “independent” if it aligns with their views. Elections are only “democratic” if their preferred candidates get elected. And political violence is bad unless they’re the ones committing it.
Is Washington trying to launch a color revolution like the one they attempted in Kazakhstan last year?
Unless they’ve perfected their tactics since then, expect Orban to likewise survive the globalists’ attempt at regime change.
