Why Populism Leads to Decline
Johan Norberg discusses what makes societies prosperous, why protectionism and nostalgia keep returning, and how populism feeds cultural decline.
Hungary
After Viktor Orbán's Defeat in Hungary, the 'New Right' Needs a New Foreign Despot To Admire
Hungary is Europe's basket case, a nation that saw little economic progress under Orbán—as well as diminishing freedoms.
Hungary Breaks Free: How Voters Ended 16 Years of Orbán's Iron Rule
Everyone could see who, and what, was responsible for Hungary’s economic malaise.
With Viktor Orbán Gone, Will Hungary Embrace Free Markets Under Péter Magyar?
Hungary’s voters turned against the poster boy of the national conservative movement.
Is the War in Iran Totally Pointless?
Plus: Viktor Orbán loses in Hungary, Kamala Harris and Eric Swalwell raise questions about Democratic candidate quality, and Anthropic’s newest AI model is too dangerous to release
Viktor Orbán and His American Apologists All Deserve To Lose
J.D. Vance in Budapest: 'We have got to get Viktor Orbán reelected as Prime Minister of Hungary, don't we?'
Viktor Orban's Hungary Exemplifies the Perils of Nationalism
As a new analysis by Johan Norberg shows, the regime many MAGA Republicans see as a model to emulate has repressed civil liberties, undermined the free market, destroyed the rule of law, and made Hungary the poorest nation in the European Union.
American Presidents Shouldn't Endorse Foreign Political Candidates
Trump's endorsements of Viktor Orbán and Sanae Takaichi, like Clinton's support for Boris Yeltsin or Obama's opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu, do not make America great.
How Did Poland Get So Far Ahead of Hungary?
Fewer than 35 years after escaping the yoke of Soviet-style central planning, Poland has become a legitimate global powerhouse.
Survey: Free Speech Support Is Eroding in America
A new global survey reveals a stark decline in Americans' support for free speech as the Trump administration tightens its grip on expression.
Neck and Neck
Plus: Baby showers for frozen eggs, Orbán pulls an Abbott, China's economic woes, and more...
'Sometimes You Need a Strongman,' Trump Declares
The former president's attempts to put a positive spin on the term are consistent with his alarmingly authoritarian instincts.
Just Say 'No' to New Forms of Prohibition
It doesn't make sense to create laws that restrict activities enjoyed by the general populace to protect a tiny minority that will undoubtedly partake in those activities anyway.
National Conservatives Can't Find a Good Excuse for Viktor Orbán's Inflation Disaster
Hungary's inflation hits 24.5 percent—the highest in the European Union—and Orbán's price controls aren't helping.
'I Have My Own Life': The Case for Legalizing Sex Work
It would be far easier to prosecute sex trafficking if voluntary sex work were legal.
Viktor Orbán Flatters Republicans With the Lie That Progressive Liberals and Communists Are 'the Same'
The Hungarian prime minister also makes the historically illiterate claim that Christians can't be racist.
U.S. Conservatives Set To Applaud Viktor Orbán's Paranoid Anti-Americanism
Kleptocratic Hungarian leader, under fire for "mixed race" speech, condemns America for weaponizing energy, antagonizing Russia, and incubating gender "lunacy."
A Global Tax Cartel Is Floundering. Good.
Just as you don't attract bees with vinegar, you don't attract corporations by promising to tax them heavily.
France's Authoritarian Establishment Faces Off Against the Even Uglier Authoritarianism of the Far Right
French President Emmanuel Macron is authoritarian-light. Candidate Marine Le Pen is worse.
Viktor Orbán's Reelection Shows Mere Democracy Is Not Enough
The less of our lives we allow to be put to a vote, the better.
Putin's Aggression Is Isolating the New Nationalists
Hungary's Viktor Orbán becomes the latest Kremlin crony to break ranks.
What Biden Can Learn from Eisenhower's 1957 State of the Union
The world's conscience had been shocked by Russia's recent invasion of a sovereign European state. Ike responded with sober, long-game containment in Europe...and more reckless escalation in the Middle East.
Hungary To Place Price Ceiling on Groceries
Price controls almost never achieve their goal, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has decided to utilize them anyway.
In 2022, Pay Attention to Right-Wing Authoritarianism
For decades, libertarians have focused on illiberalism coming from the political left. But authoritarianism has taken root among many conservatives across the world.
Hungarian Nationalism Is a Dead End
Hungary's brand of nationalism generates not just cronyist domestic policy but tawdry foreign policy as well.
Global Freedom Is on the Decline
A new report says 83 percent of the world's population is less free today than it was in 2008, and the gap between the world's most and least free countries is growing.
Red Markets
Sometimes communist countries had to tolerate a little economic liberty just to survive.
Bernie Sanders Is Wrong About Denmark. Tucker Carlson Is Wrong About Hungary.
The two are idolizing the wrong models.
Conservatives Are Asking You To Disbelieve Your Own Eyes
The political right's movement toward authoritarianism is exemplified by its refusal to embrace facts that don't conform to their alternative reality.
No Self-Respecting American Should Aspire to Hungarian-Style Nationalism
Extolling the virtues of Viktor Orbán's culture war over a sumptuous meal in Budapest is next-level cognitive dissonance.
Firing of Hungarian Newspaper Editor Stokes Press Freedom Fears
Another blow to the country's few remaining independent news outlets
Coronavirus Gives the Illiberal Right Fever Dreams of Power
Hungary's Viktor Orbán consolidates power, Harvard's Adrian Vermeule fantasizes about wielding it, and many of those who oppose authoritarian conservativism beg Donald Trump to close the country down.
Understanding the Failure of 'Globalism' Is Key to Understanding Donald Trump's Appeal
Us vs. Them author Ian Bremmer says that worldwide populism is a response from people who are being left behind economically.
The State of Food Freedom Around the Globe
Authoritarian cruelty in Hungary, civil disobedience in Ukraine, and booze reform in Canada
When the Russians Played the Olympic Villain For a Lot More Than Just Doping
1956's "Blood in the Water" match between Hungary and the Soviet Union brought war to the pool.
Hungarians Elect Free Market Advocate in By-Election, Right-Wing Ruling Party Loses Supermajority
Zoltán Kész defeated a member of the ruling party, ending its razor-thin supermajority hold on parliament.
Obama Nominates Soap Opera Producer as Ambassador of Hungary
Raised more than $500,000 for the president
Four Neo-Nazis Jailed in Hungary for Murder Spree That Targeted Roma Minority
Three given life without parole, fourth given 13 years without parole
Hungarian Prime Minister Warns the Germans Not To Send in Tanks
A not very well disguised WWII reference made in response to German criticisms of the Hungarian government
Hungarian Government Looking To Limit Scope of National FOIA Law
Amendments passed through legislature in record time
