March 19, 2024
Approximately this time 79 years ago German dictator Adolf Hitler and his Soviet associate Joseph Stalin divided Poland. The "Axis" states at that time have already occupied Albania, Ethiopia, Czechoslovakia and Austria. A part of the European states, particularly Hungary, became the allies of Hitlerite expansion voluntarily. Those days’ Hungarian governor, admiral Miklós Horthy, as a token of gratitude to his German allies became one of the promoters of a large-scale slaughter on the European continent that resulted in joint invasion into Yugoslavia with Hitler in April 1941. Well, owing to Germany’s intervention and by force of the 1938 Vienna arbitration Hungary received a part of Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine - it is worth the gratitude. One would ask, what is the purpose of this historical insight? The thing is today we may witness another revanchism ideas propagation in the Central Europe. One of its driving forces is Hungary led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Skillful speculations in the ideas of an expansive imperialism enabled Mr. Orbán to hold the highest post in the state repeatedly after defeat in 2002 when he aspired to concentrate the main levers for controlling economy. In 2010 Fidezs party and their allies got majority in parliament and immediately proceeded to the constitutional reforms. They started clericalisation of the state, forbade abortions and same-sex marriages, adopted a number of laws which complicated life to Gipsies. In their actions the party in power could even surpass sometimes confirmed nationalists such as Jobbik party. On the back of such spirits a national holiday was declared on 4 June - "National Unity Day" commemorating the Treaty of Trianon of 1920. That time Hungary lost a considerable part of their lands, which passed to neighboring states. After Orbán’s come back to power, the state officially changed its name. Now it is called Hungary instead of "the Hungarian Republic" which means that the Hungarian community unites not only the Hungarians living within the territory of the state, but also those behind its borders. Regardless of his pro-Hungarian nationalist spirit, Viktor Orbán is nevertheless an ordinary goopy politician and officer. Supported by his environment he speculates in revanchist anti-European ideas prevailing in the Hungarian society. When there is no bread, people should be given circuses. Hence, Mr. Orbán juggles with the ideas of "Great Hungary" and reunion of split nation. In 2009, addressing ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, he called them state-building community, humiliating thereby Slovaks. As a matter of a fact, you should not expect crossing the border of some of the adjacent states and proceeding to its conquest by Hungarian troops tomorrow or in a week. Currently the confrontation is taking place on the diplomatic level. Today the Hungarian government chose the weakest neighbor as the victim of "expansion" - Ukraine that has been resisting to Russia’s invasion in their eastern regions for nearly five years. Meanwhile the Hungarian government issues the passports to residents of Transcarpathian (Zakarpattya) region of Ukraine under the seal of secrecy that is quite indicative fact. The recent one is the case of Beregovo city, which even compelled the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expel the Hungarian consul from there. However, the territory is a little interesting to Hungarians, who are interested in people. The economic situation in Hungary is far from being perfect. High prices and low wages force Hungarians to look for the employment in neighboring states or to migrate further westwards. Issuing passports to Ukrainians allows at least partially compensate deficiency of manpower. Well, what is wrong about it? Involvement of manpower from neighboring states is not a know-how. Yet such a policy of "turning a blind eyes" or "appeasement of an aggressor" has already led to a new redraw of the European borders initiated by modern Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in 2014. His messages were quite identical: Crimea annexation - as far as many people have Russian passports there, war in the east of Ukraine - as far as ethnic Russians live there. By the way, Viktor Orbán supports lifting sanctions from Russia imposed in response to their aggressive foreign policy. On the other side, he demands from Ukraine granting more autonomy and rights to the Transcarpathian Hungarians. At the same time, Hungary actively opposes Ukrainian efforts of EU and NATO integration. We should also point out that Hungary is not the only state with strong anti-European spirits. Having such an example, other states are also highly probable to follow the same way. Thus the whole Europe may fall into mutual recriminations and appeals to revision of frontiers. Do not console yourself with illusory hopes that membership in international organizations such as NATO and EU may somehow interfere with such processes in the majority of the European states. At Horthy times, Hungary was a member of League of Nations, though it did not stop them from the expansion against their neighbors. However, yet in 1942 Horthy realised hopelessness of war and entered into secret negotiations with Allies. Therefore, we may only rely on rational mind of present Hungarian governor and his ability to diminish imperial ambitions under pressure of the European community.
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