Category: VOLUME III, No. 1

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

‘We are proud’ – state the opening words of the new Hungarian Constitution – of a long list of attributes, including those forebears who fought for national survival, freedom and independence, the intellectual achievements of Hungarians, and Hungary’s role as ‘a talented and diligent defender of the common values of

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON RECENT EVENTS

In his memoir of the Thatcher administration, Nigel Lawson, her Finance Minister, gives a droll explanation of the Foreign Office’s reasoning on the proper use of the veto in European Union deliberations. The survival of the veto was a vital British interest, ran the FO line. So whenever any other

ANGELS AND DEVILS

What Is Happening in Hungary Today? NT: The Fidesz government stands accused of a wide variety of crimes…Is there any sense in which you would admit that government steps are reducing Hungarian democracy? GS: The list is so long that it is in itself suspect. It means – with only a slight

NON-CONVENTIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY MEASURES – HUNGARIAN STYLE

In this essay I attempt to draw a preliminary balance of recent non-orthodox economic policy practice in Europe and, in particular, in Hungary even if the essayist lacks historical perspective. It would be good to wait until data and hard facts are available but this is rarely the case in

ANOTHER SEMESTER OF OUR DISCONTENT

The Integration Power of Traditional Cultural Systems and the Search for a Substitute I. Breaking news The discontent of the second semester of 2011 From the last six months of 2011 reports by international and Slovenian media provided an impressive list of world problems: 1. Greek debt and the crisis

A DIFFERENT DIGITAL DIVIDE

Tamás Roska (b. 1940) is co-inventor of the CNN Universal Machine, a host of cellular universal computers on a single chip (with L. O. Chua, 1992), and the analogic CNN Bionic Eye, a cellular universal computer inspired by the operation of the retina (with F. S. Werblin and L. O.

OBSERVATIONS OF BUDAPEST SINCE 1992

FROM SHEREMETYEVO TO THE HOTEL GELLÉRT My wife, Susan, and I flew into Budapest from Moscow in the summer of 1992. It was our first visit to one of the former “satellites” of the USSR, although by 1992 we had spent a good deal of time in the Soviet Union

NERO OF THE CAUCASUS

In the 1920s and 1930s Joseph Stalin was usually cordial and obliging with his foreign visitors. But with the passing of time, he dropped this pretence of affability in the presence of guests from abroad with increasing frequency. On such occasions “Uncle Joe”, as he was referred to by Roosevelt

OFFICIAL ENEMIES, SECRET ALLIES PART III

VIII. A LOST OPPORTUNITY, A CLASH OF VISIONS US–Hungarian negotiations had dragged on for too long, close to half a year. As in the case of the delay of six weeks spent by the Allies and the anti-Nazi Badoglio government to negotiate an armistice, the Germans were given ample time

THE BURIAL OF ATTILA

A Folklore Motif in Historical Consciousness Introduction When it comes to interpreting certain historical legends or myths, folklorists who focus on oral traditions tend to adopt a stance not entirely identical with that of the historians. In this clash of approaches scholars of myths appear to start with a grave