Hungary Avoided Democratic Collapse. Can We?

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The New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss Péter Magyar, the new Prime Minister of Hungary, whom Marantz recently interviewed for the magazine. Marantz tells Foggatt about how Magyar defeated the longtime incumbent, Viktor Orbán—despite intervention by Donald Trump and his allies, and Orbán’s extensive influence over the Hungarian media—and why many Hungarians, after years of democratic backsliding and alleged corruption, ultimately turned against their deeply entrenched leader. Foggatt and Marantz also explore the challenges of governing after authoritarianism without reproducing its abuses of power, and whether Hungary’s political transition offers lessons for other democracies confronting illiberal movements.

This week’s reading:

“Péter Magyar Led Hungarians out of Autocracy. Where Will He Take Them Now?,” by Andrew Marantz

“Why Spain Is Standing Up to Donald Trump,” by Ishaan Tharoor

“Why Trump’s Spiritual Adviser Dedicated a Golden Statue to the President,” by Isaac Chotiner

“The Art of the Ceasefire,” by Sudarsan Raghavan

“Rumors of Instability in Moscow,” by Joshua Yaffa

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