With the entry sanction, they declared war on Hungarian national politics, and with the introduction of double taxation, on the Hungarian economy. All this while we really didn't harm them, never. Written by Mátyás Kohán.
If I didn't know what perspectives await Hungary outside the Western federal system, I would understand those who say: get out of here. So let's start with the harsh facts: the fact that Romania can only express its distaste for Hungary in the form of demarcation, and Ukraine only in the form of overshadowed Hungarian-phobic drooling, is guaranteed by Hungarian NATO membership - understand: the American protective umbrella. Only EU membership can guarantee the free movement of Hungarians, the profits of Hungarian companies, Hungary's attractiveness to investors, and ultimately its massive advantage in terms of living standards and growth compared to the Balkans, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. Therefore, no sensible person will ever even fantasize that our country would be more spacious outside of any large Western integration organization. Enduring political fights, including diplomatic brain trouble, is the job of the elected and well-paid political class,
it is forbidden to sacrifice the comfort and standard of living of ordinary Hungarians on the altar of this, so we stay, we cannot do otherwise, period.
However, oder, aber.
Earth has never had such an impossible ally as the United States of America; perhaps the Soviet Union, which imposed its stillborn economic system and philosophical idiosyncrasies on us, was even worse than them. If we compare them with, say, the colonial Belgians, the picture is more mixed. Joe Biden does not cut off limbs in our country, as King Lipót did in the Belgian Congo. But the Belgians left the King of Rwanda in office, even though Ruanda-Urundi was their colony at its best; the United States is spectacularly disrespecting its ally, our small country.
Let's be clear: the USA is having fun with us without real self-interest. It really does not matter to them whether there is more or less American investment in a small geographical footnote of ten million, and how many of those who can afford this adventure, which otherwise starts at half a million forints per person, travel to the USA without a visa. They don't care if there is a double taxation treaty and a two-year visa-free ESTA or not. It does not matter to us, the forint and the perception of Hungary's investors. They know this exactly, and they treat us just like unarmed roadblocks.
They'll just take that holey two-penny, even if it's worth nothing to them. Disgusting.
In addition, the reasons that are listed behind these two decisions do not stand on their feet to any extent; and anyway, we never did America any harm. Hungary gave up its veto against the global minimum corporate tax in December, and the tax was introduced - our opposition to it was the basis for the cancellation of the double taxation agreement in June. No funds for eight months.
And the ESTA sanction never had a basis. According to the Americans, the reason for the decision is that "between 2011 and 2020, the Hungarian government granted Hungarian citizenship to nearly one million people in the framework of a simplified naturalization procedure without proper security checks on their identity." According to the USA, it is afraid that in this way Hungarians living abroad, including citizens of Romania, Serbia and Ukraine, which do not enjoy a visa exemption, will be able to enter the territory of the USA without a visa without a proper security check. This is a nice, logical argument, it's just a blatant lie - no Hungarian citizen who was not born in Hungary can apply for an ESTA.
The US solved the problem it is referring to years ago under its own authority. Now they are lying.
More precisely, they are doing much worse than this: they have declared war on the Hungarian national policy, which otherwise does them no harm. According to the Ministry of the Interior, in recent months the United States applied for the data of Hungarians living abroad with dual citizenship, primarily those from Subcarpathia and Vojvodina. The point may have been the former, since while dual citizenship is legal in Serbia, in Ukraine the Transcarpathians who also hold Hungarian citizenship must hide this from the Ukrainian authorities; it is not particularly difficult to guess what risks the publication of the list of Hungarian-Ukrainian dual citizens would pose to the USA, which is engaged in intensive intelligence cooperation with Ukraine. Moreover, it is completely pointless, since Hungarians born abroad do not have a visa exemption, and they will not even if the USA finds out their address and the name of their mother.
In short and concisely: the United States, which alone would have the power to solve the minority rights problem poisoning the relations between Ukraine and Hungary, instead spectacularly
He wants to help Ukraine in the further integration of Transcarpathian Hungarians.
Because America obviously doesn't need their data to send them a star-striped gift package.
In addition, the United States, which alone has the power to push China out of the economic positions it held in Hungary with better offers, instead tries to make it more difficult for its companies that would invest here.
So they could solve their two problems not too hard - the essence of the Ukrainian-Hungarian dispute, as well as China's acquisition of economic influence in Hungary - but they would rather push it out with an ally so that it does not benefit them. This is anything but strategic thinking. This attitude is
which is why we can even talk about things that sounded like a fever dream a few decades ago, like there are two days in the sky.
Because they didn't get too high themselves, they let the other one get up.
Because whoever doesn't appreciate the little - us, the insignificant Central European footnote - doesn't deserve big allies either. This is why former allies of the USA such as Saudi Arabia, India or Brazil are looking elsewhere. That is why any negotiations that this America conducts with Russia or China usually end up deadlocked. And that's why, because of the arrogance of a superpower, the world is a more dangerous place today than it was thirty years ago.
Of course, this does not help us, we have to adapt to the realities and find a way to guide Hungarian-American relations within a reasonable framework. It doesn't matter to you whether the elephant is demented or degenerate, once you trample it. But as a Hungarian, it is terribly difficult to love, respect, and appreciate the USA. We can at least say this, the truth, with the bitter taste of the neglected little ally. And we can hope that it will be different someday.
Featured image: MTI/EPA/ABACA POOL/Yuri Gripas / POOL
