I talked with Bill Kristol about Péter Magyar’s win in Hungary’s election this April. It was fun. You can watch it here.
Péter Magyar
How Péter Magyar Toppled Viktor Orbán’s Illiberal Regiime
Here’s my broader take on what brought down Orbán, which I wrote for The Bulwark. I think Péter Magyar’s victory will likely prove to be a significant event in Hungary’s post-1989 history. “EVERY SO OFTEN history offers up events that… Read More ›
Orbán Will Lose Hungary’s Election in Two Weeks–If It’s Clean
You can find my most recent article in The Bulwark, where I offer a forecast for the election on April 12, 2026. The short summary: Orbán’s in deep trouble and is on the way out of power – unless he… Read More ›
Growing Fears That Hungary’s Orbán May Cancel Next Month’s Election
In this argument for The Bulwark, I talk about the trouble Orbán is in and the danger that he may try to cancel parliamentary elections in April. “HUNGARIANS PLAN TO VOTE in parliamentary elections in six weeks, and if the… Read More ›
Hungary Could Free Itself from Orbánism Next Spring
Entropy is a term physicists use to describe decay, and it’s starting to look as if entropy could be catching up with Viktor Orbán’s Hungary. I write about the possibility that Orbánism is heading toward regime collapse in this piece… Read More ›
Facing a Serious Challenger, Orbán Moves Closer to Naked Authoritarianism
Since exploding onto the political scene last February, Péter Magyar had completely upended Hungarian politics and has Orbán and his cronies in a state of panic. My latest piece for The Bulwark. “IF IT KEEPS ON RAINING, [the] levee’s going… Read More ›
Is This the Man Who Could Topple Viktor Orbán?
“FORTUNE IS A LIBERAL MISTRESS,” Napoleon is reported to have said before his defeat at Borodino. “I have often said so, and now begin to experience it.” Words of wisdom, perhaps, for Viktor Orbán, who some have said suffers from bouts of Bonapartism. Since winning… Read More ›
In Hungary, Scandal and Crisis Suddenly Energize the Opposition
ALTHOUGH ONE MIGHT NOT KNOW IT given Hungary’s current reputation, the country has noble liberal traditions. In 1848 Hungary gave birth to one of the most successful democratic revolutions in Europe, sadly suppressed after a year by Austrian and Russian… Read More ›
H. David Baer 