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PaperclipPerfector  9mo ago (text post)   1311 thread views

Transnational Thursday for February 1, 2024

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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What are the specific allegations of democratic backsliding? It seems like Hungary plays hardball but well within the rules of democracy and has a one party state as a result of free and fair elections.

I don't want to step on any Hungarian posters toes but a short summary would be:

  • Erosion of separation of powers
  • Financial and physical intimidation of media
  • Using state media and other government agencies to run their election campaign.
  • Significantly undercutting the independence of the judiciary
  • Rapidly growing corruption, cronyism and clientelism, often using EU money.
  • Significantly reducing the independence of academia.

The last has gotten the most or at least disproportionate airtime, partly because of toxoplasmic reasons, but is also by far the least important.

The contention is not only that there is democratic backsliding (in the sense that elections are becoming less free) but that things like rule of law is decreasing. The EU doesn't only require it's members to hold elections, you also need things like independent institutions like a parliament and a judiciary. You don't qualify for membership just because you hold elections for a dictator every few years. Would that be a democracy? Maybe, under some definitions, but not under the EU's, which is what matters here.

I'm not saying this is the situation in Hungary but it's where people perceive things to be trending.

The last has gotten the most or at least disproportionate airtime, partly because of toxoplasmic reasons, but is also by far the least important.

I don't know about that. It's what allows ideas like "separation of power" or "independence of the judiciary" to have even a fig leaf of legitimacy, though admittedly you need have control over it for a while, before the effects become apparent.

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