The first Commentary Evening of the conservative magazine Kommentár was held, where Márton Békés, the editor-in-chief of the magazine, gave a welcoming speech, followed by a lecture by Dr. Levente Horváth, director of the Eurasia Center. Mandiner wrote up a review of the event.
Levente Horváth explained that after the 500-year Atlantic era, it is now the era of Eurasia. “Hungary is the foundation of Eurasian thought, therefore we must throw away Western glasses and step out of the Western information bubble,” he said.
“Brainwashing is taking place in the West with soft power and Hollywood. We believe that the Western world is a superior civilization, we look down on everything outside of it. We are used to the West leading the world, but there is a world outside of America. We have to understand that every civilization thinks differently about the world, now Asian countries are coming up,” he said.
In the panel discussion that followed, geopolitical expert Dr. Ágnes Bernek said, “In the coming conflict, we have no choice, we must be a bridge. Our country has always been a buffer state, we must step out of this role,” she said, adding that “Eurasia and Africa are the ‘global islands,’ and whoever dominates them dominates the world.”
Bernek then spoke of having to ensure Trump sees “Hungary as a connector” and that Hungary “must also seize opportunities in the business world” while they last.
András Kosztur, senior researcher at the 21st Century Institute, commented that Eurasia no longer refers solely to former Soviet territories. With Russia “opening up to the east and south to a greater extent,” it has come to signify the integration of Europe and Asia as a whole. “This partly coincides with the Chinese Belt and Road project, as they are trying to bring the two into harmony,” he said.
Digital content creator Mengyi Li said, “China’s primary goal is to find allies, and Europe and Africa play a significant role in this.”
“In China, they have a positive attitude towards Hungary, and even taxi drivers know that we are friends of China,” Li said. Further explaining the good relations that exist between the two countries, she said: “The Chinese are proud of their traditions, and those who do not look down on China are open to it. Hungary is important that it shows such a friendly openness towards China.”
Li noted that things are starting to change in China, particularly related to the concept of collectivism. “Young people are increasingly individualistic, they want to get rich digitally. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find valuable labor in larger cities, so there are challenges,” she said.
According to Kosztur, “We need to clarify what we want. If we only pay attention to how the great power movements develop, it is easy to get lost in the struggles.”
While both the U.S. and China appear open to closer cooperation, Europe, and Hungary on its own, must “form a stable point.”
“Europe as a region is not given a place, it is only placed in the new world order as an afterthought,” Kosztur articulated as the challenge ahead.