Orbán may have gone to Washington seeking a sanctions waiver, but he returned as the undisputed leader of a Europe yearning for a new civilizational project.
By Ramachandra BYRAPPA
The meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on November 7th was about more than diplomatic courtesy. It marked the beginning of a new era of mutual respect and trust in Hungarian-American relations. The ideological hostilities aimed at Hungary by the previous administration were dispelled and replaced with values that reflected interests shared on both sides of the Atlantic. Over the last 15 years, Hungary has steadily developed a socio-economic model based on Christian values, placing the family unit at the heart of state policy. It has also strived to strengthen the pillars of its national sovereignty. The American president has recognized the importance of this model and proposed it as an example for the whole Western world. He also acknowledged that it is only natural for this model to promote peace for itself and its neighbors. Peace has brought these leaders together, and they hope that the same bonds will create a golden age of economic cooperation.
A lot of the Western media outlets portrayed the meeting as a publicity stunt, in view of the upcoming parliamentary elections. Nothing is impossible, but it is too simplistic a view. This meeting was far more consequential, and there are concrete reasons for this: the revival and reformation of Western civilization. Let us put media speculation aside for a moment and consider things from a different perspective.
The Washington meeting on November 7th saw the convergence of two approaches that are bound to have a profound impact on transatlantic relations in the foreseeable future. One was long-term and systemic; the other was recent and ad hoc. However, both approaches converged on the same objective: arresting and, if possible, reversing the decline of Western civilization. While the root causes of this decline have long been debated, here we are concerned with the consequences, such as rapid demographic decline, lackluster innovation, and a general sense of disorientation, to name a few. This is seen as the root cause of the Ukrainian conflict of 2022, with peace on the European continent being the obvious casualty.
President Trump, whose approach is recent and ad hoc, thinks wars of this kind are, in reality, challenges to Western civilization because it is perceived as weak and not "respected"-a word that adorned the meeting. Prime Minister Orbán accepts this interpretation and takes things a step further. He takes a long-term and systemic approach, arguing that the others see the West as being weak because of its structural disorientation. The civilizational hierarchy has been shattered at the political, social, and cultural levels. He points out that there is disorientation because decisions are made by authorities or bodies on matters where they enjoy neither competence nor legitimacy. There is ample research supporting this vision of things. Jared Diamond, an American scholar, in his book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, explores why societies make self-destructive decisions, often due to conflicts between the short-term interests of the decision-making elite and the long-term interests of the society as a whole. PM Orbán would argue that the preservation of national sovereignty is the key to preventing this from happening, because national sovereignty is one's capacity to decide in one's own interests.
In a nutshell, the whole situation can be well illustrated by an example taken from nature. Let us see how nature constructs itself by examining the structural aspects of a raw walnut. It is composed of three main elements: at the core, the nut, which is protected by a strong shell or casing, and which in turn is encapsulated in a green husk. Nature, in its wisdom and ingenuity, has also given three vital functions to these three elements. The nut, or the kernel, is there to provide rebirth, renewal, vital energies, and continuity. The hard shell is there to protect and preserve these essential and existential possibilities. As for the soft green husk, it cushions the hard shell from external elements, and mainly, when the nut falls to the ground, it does not shatter! In my opinion, civilizations share similar structural features. The kernel is the family, and by extension, the nation. The hard shell is the (nation) state, there to protect the unique vitality of the family. Finally, the green husk is the civilization, which is characterized by flexibility, connectivity, and compatibility.
Unfortunately, this order of structures of vitality and stability was disturbed and sometimes outright disoriented by the intrusion of new institutional and ideological constructs. They saw their mission as replacing existing structures. It increasingly looks like the European Union might have abandoned its civilizational mission in order to replace the nation-state. Its policies to support the individual and individual liberties should not weaken the family as the core structure of vitality. The consequences of this are that demographic renewal is low, welfare costs are high and rising, state budget deficits are skyrocketing, and slow disintegration is in sight.
The longstanding contention between Prime Minister Orbán and the European Union is all about stopping this self-destructive folly before it is too late. He wants to restore the place of the family as a core and vital element of Western civilization, to restore a regenerative function to it. By stressing the fact that Hungary is a "modern Christian country," Orbán made it evident that he fully embraces classical enlightenment and the fundamental rights of the individual, but with the primacy going to the family. In short, state action will support the individual endeavor through the family. Since 2010, Hungary has made considerable progress in restoring the economic viability of the family structure through a radical reduction of taxation and giving incentives, like generous subsidies, supporting homeownership. Over the last decade and a half, Hungary has acquired a viable, sustainable civilizational methodology, ready to be copied by others, including Washington.
At one point during the press conference, a journalist asked President Trump if he would help Hungary solve its contentions with the European Union. The American president gave a very vague answer but finally said yes. The Hungarian prime minister made an interjection to politely but candidly remind Trump and others that Hungary is a sovereign country and does not need any help in its dealings with the European Union. As he indicated, he is the longest-serving prime minister in the EU, and he knows how to deal with Brussels. This implicit message to the United States could be heard in all of the European capitals: strictly European affairs, meaning civilizational, will be settled by the Europeans. One sensed that the American president was a bit surprised by the statement, but he realized that it was sincere. He accepted it with a nod. Respect to the brave!
Prime Minister Orbán may have travelled to Washington to secure a waiver on sanctions imposed on Russian oil imports, but he definitely returned as the undisputed leader of a certain Europe-a Europe that is eager to find a faithful leader to initiate a new civilization project for a renewed Europe.
Original article: The European Conservative