Yusuke Ishikawa
@yishikawa95.bsky.social
Research Fellow at the Institute of Geoeconomics. Studying CEE politics (esp. Hungarian politics), anti-corruption, and democratic backsliding.
Reposted by Yusuke Ishikawa
Remember when Rubio criticised Hungary's democratic backsliding?
What changed? Certainly not Hungary's democratic backsliding
What changed? Certainly not Hungary's democratic backsliding
February 16, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Remember when Rubio criticised Hungary's democratic backsliding?
What changed? Certainly not Hungary's democratic backsliding
What changed? Certainly not Hungary's democratic backsliding
'Your success is our success,' Rubio tells Orbán ahead of Hungary polls (Euractiv)
www.euractiv.com/news/your-su...
www.euractiv.com/news/your-su...
'Your success is our success,' Rubio tells Orbán ahead of Hungary polls | Euractiv
Hungarians will vote in legislative elections on 12 April. Polls suggest Orbán's Fidesz party is trailing opposition leader Peter Magyar's TISZA
www.euractiv.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:15 AM
'Your success is our success,' Rubio tells Orbán ahead of Hungary polls (Euractiv)
www.euractiv.com/news/your-su...
www.euractiv.com/news/your-su...
EU tones down criticism of Viktor Orbán ahead of election - www.ft.com/content/8625... via Financial Times
EU tones down criticism of Viktor Orbán ahead of election
Brussels wary of giving Hungary’s longtime antagonist ammunition during his campaign
www.ft.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:20 PM
EU tones down criticism of Viktor Orbán ahead of election - www.ft.com/content/8625... via Financial Times
Hungarians have had enough of Viktor Orbán. But Trump’s tailwind could save his skin (Guardian)
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Hungarians have had enough of Viktor Orbán. But Trump’s tailwind could save his skin | András Bíró-Nagy
Opposition challenger Péter Magyar is ahead on a promise of hope. Orbán is betting on fear of war to stay in power, says writer András Bíró-Nagy
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Hungarians have had enough of Viktor Orbán. But Trump’s tailwind could save his skin (Guardian)
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Yusuke Ishikawa
Now posted ahead of print:
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
February 16, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Now posted ahead of print:
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.
(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)
doi.org/10.1146/annu...
“If anyone wants Antal Rogán or Viktór Orbán to be spying on your bedroom, feel free to vote to Fidesz” 😂
www.youtube.com/live/7IC-7l9...
www.youtube.com/live/7IC-7l9...
February 16, 2026 at 1:30 PM
“If anyone wants Antal Rogán or Viktór Orbán to be spying on your bedroom, feel free to vote to Fidesz” 😂
www.youtube.com/live/7IC-7l9...
www.youtube.com/live/7IC-7l9...
Magyar Péter's speech "recalled an era when Hungary’s foreign policy still aligned with its allies. [... It] was a throwback to the early 2010s [...] when [...] Janos Martonyi, stuck to a triad of foreign policy priorities: EU and NATO alignment, good neighbourly relations"
ecfr.eu/article/tisz...
ecfr.eu/article/tisz...
Tisza’s foreign policy offer: Plans for a post-Orban Hungary – European Council on Foreign Relations
After nearly 16 years of Fidesz rule, the centre-right Tisza party stands a chance of winning Hungary’s April election. Under their rule, Budapest would work wi
ecfr.eu
February 16, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Magyar Péter's speech "recalled an era when Hungary’s foreign policy still aligned with its allies. [... It] was a throwback to the early 2010s [...] when [...] Janos Martonyi, stuck to a triad of foreign policy priorities: EU and NATO alignment, good neighbourly relations"
ecfr.eu/article/tisz...
ecfr.eu/article/tisz...
Stephen M. Walt. (2026). The Predatory Hegemon. Foreign Affairs.
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
The Predatory Hegemon
Ever since Donald Trump first became U.S. president, in 2017, commentators have searched for an adequate label to describe his approach to U.S. foreign relations. Writing in these pages, the political...
www.foreignaffairs.com
February 15, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Stephen M. Walt. (2026). The Predatory Hegemon. Foreign Affairs.
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
Soyaltin-Colella, D., & Csehi, R. (2026). Populist resilience to corruption: Institutional, partisan, and discursive strategies in Hungary and Turkey. Politics, 0(0). doi.org/10.1177/0263...
Populist resilience to corruption: Institutional, partisan, and discursive strategies in Hungary and Turkey - Digdem Soyaltin-Colella, Robert Csehi, 2026
While populists are often helped into power by anti-corruption rhetoric, they are not exempt from corruption (allegations) that could threaten their credibility...
journals.sagepub.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Soyaltin-Colella, D., & Csehi, R. (2026). Populist resilience to corruption: Institutional, partisan, and discursive strategies in Hungary and Turkey. Politics, 0(0). doi.org/10.1177/0263...
“Orban tries to present himself as the guarantor of stability and security" [...]. This has worked when it comes to strengthening Fidesz' voter base, but it is not yet clear whether he will manage to address undecided voters or lure back voters who drifted to Tisza”
www.reuters.com/business/med...
www.reuters.com/business/med...
Orban scales up 'war or peace' campaign as Hungary heads to pivotal vote
Facing the possibility of losing power after 16 years, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has cast Hungary's election on April 12 as a stark choice between "war or peace", saying his opponents would drag the...
www.reuters.com
February 15, 2026 at 1:20 PM
“Orban tries to present himself as the guarantor of stability and security" [...]. This has worked when it comes to strengthening Fidesz' voter base, but it is not yet clear whether he will manage to address undecided voters or lure back voters who drifted to Tisza”
www.reuters.com/business/med...
www.reuters.com/business/med...
“Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, who has been a vocal advocate of bringing battery plants to Hungary, described our article, supported with documentation as “a tsunami of lies” and said he would take the necessary legal steps against Telex”...
telex.hu/english/2026...
telex.hu/english/2026...
The Samsung factory in Göd is completely safe – Gulyás
The Hungarian government has vehemently denied that they knew that battery plant workers in Samsung’s Hungarian plant were repeatedly exposed to dangerous levels of chemical substances. FM Szijjártó t...
telex.hu
February 15, 2026 at 6:32 AM
“Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, who has been a vocal advocate of bringing battery plants to Hungary, described our article, supported with documentation as “a tsunami of lies” and said he would take the necessary legal steps against Telex”...
telex.hu/english/2026...
telex.hu/english/2026...
“The sex video promised by the Orbán regime is a classic Russian KGB-type kompromat. The goal is to weaken Péter Magyar's political position [...]. The announced kompromat is supposed to divert attention from two unpleasant matters for Fidesz.” (HVG)
hvg.hu/360/20260214...
hvg.hu/360/20260214...
Sükösd Miklós: A Vogelgate újratöltve – a szexvideó mint kompromat és figyelemelterelés
Az Orbán-rendszer által ígért szexvideó klasszikus orosz KGB-típusú kompromat. A cél Magyar Péter politikai pozíciójának gyengítése, karakterének rombolása, a Fidesz-szavazók és a bizonytalanok elideg...
hvg.hu
February 15, 2026 at 1:55 AM
“The sex video promised by the Orbán regime is a classic Russian KGB-type kompromat. The goal is to weaken Péter Magyar's political position [...]. The announced kompromat is supposed to divert attention from two unpleasant matters for Fidesz.” (HVG)
hvg.hu/360/20260214...
hvg.hu/360/20260214...
"Orbán forgot to mention MOL and the Hungarian state, along with Shell, as profiting a lot from the war" (HVG)
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
Orbán elfelejtette megemlíteni a Molt és a magyar államot a Shell mellett, mint ami rengeteget keres a háborún
A Brent és az Ural kőolaj közti árfolyamnyereség legnagyobb részét a magyar olajcég befizette az államkasszába különadóként, így a magyar kormány közvetlenül érdekelt az olcsó orosz kőolaj importjának...
hvg.hu
February 14, 2026 at 2:15 PM
"Orbán forgot to mention MOL and the Hungarian state, along with Shell, as profiting a lot from the war" (HVG)
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
“The biggest winner of the war in Ukraine is Shell” - Orbán's another attempt to discredit Tisza party and its chief economic adviser, István Kapitány, Shell’s former Global Executive Vice President...
telex.hu/english/2026...
telex.hu/english/2026...
Orbán: Our work isn’t finished yet
The Hungarian PM said that they needed more time to make Hungary great again, and at his annual state of the nation address also spoke about Brussels being a bigger threat than Putin.
telex.hu
February 14, 2026 at 1:54 PM
“The biggest winner of the war in Ukraine is Shell” - Orbán's another attempt to discredit Tisza party and its chief economic adviser, István Kapitány, Shell’s former Global Executive Vice President...
telex.hu/english/2026...
telex.hu/english/2026...
“It doesn't seem enough that an adult man and an adult woman had sex of their own free will, so they started attacking Magyar from a different direction, who, with his video confession, countered the bedroom story being built by unknown people.”
(excerpt is from X by 444.hu)
444.hu/2026/02/13/k...
(excerpt is from X by 444.hu)
444.hu/2026/02/13/k...
Kettős életű, hazug, és volt a buliban drog is – beindulóban a fideszes karaktergyilkosság a meglepetésszerű Magyar Péter-vallomás után
Önmagában kevésnek tűnik, hogy egy felnőtt férfi és egy felnőtt nő saját akaratából szexelt, úgyhogy más irányból kezdték el támadni Magyart, aki videós vallomásával elébe vágott az ismeretlenek által...
444.hu
February 14, 2026 at 7:04 AM
“It doesn't seem enough that an adult man and an adult woman had sex of their own free will, so they started attacking Magyar from a different direction, who, with his video confession, countered the bedroom story being built by unknown people.”
(excerpt is from X by 444.hu)
444.hu/2026/02/13/k...
(excerpt is from X by 444.hu)
444.hu/2026/02/13/k...
The MAGA-friendly European think tanks Trump wants to fund (Politico)
www.politico.eu/article/maga...
www.politico.eu/article/maga...
The MAGA-friendly European think tanks Trump wants to fund
The Heritage Foundation identified European groups for U.S. backing.
www.politico.eu
February 14, 2026 at 6:57 AM
The MAGA-friendly European think tanks Trump wants to fund (Politico)
www.politico.eu/article/maga...
www.politico.eu/article/maga...
Just a personal memo. I don't agree with it, but it's an opinion piece in Magyar Nemzet:
“We don't know what secrets, scandals, and sins he has lurking. Who knows who can keep him in check from the EU globalist criminal organizations to the real Ukrainian mafia“
magyarnemzet.hu/ahelyzet/202...
“We don't know what secrets, scandals, and sins he has lurking. Who knows who can keep him in check from the EU globalist criminal organizations to the real Ukrainian mafia“
magyarnemzet.hu/ahelyzet/202...
A zsarolt, sakkban tartott ember nem biztonságos
Ilyen országot, ilyen kormányfőt akarnak? Erre az emberre akarják rábízni a családjuk, a nemzetük jövőjét? Biztos?
magyarnemzet.hu
February 14, 2026 at 6:53 AM
Just a personal memo. I don't agree with it, but it's an opinion piece in Magyar Nemzet:
“We don't know what secrets, scandals, and sins he has lurking. Who knows who can keep him in check from the EU globalist criminal organizations to the real Ukrainian mafia“
magyarnemzet.hu/ahelyzet/202...
“We don't know what secrets, scandals, and sins he has lurking. Who knows who can keep him in check from the EU globalist criminal organizations to the real Ukrainian mafia“
magyarnemzet.hu/ahelyzet/202...
Hungary Remains the Most Corrupt Member State of the European Union for the Fourth Consecutive Year (TI Hungary)
transparency.hu/en/news/cpi-...
transparency.hu/en/news/cpi-...
Hungary Remains the Most Corrupt Member State of the European Union for the Fourth Consecutive Year - Transparency International Hungary
In 2025, Hungary was once again ranked at the bottom of the European Union, sharing last place with Bulgaria this time, according to the annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) compiled by the Secre...
transparency.hu
February 13, 2026 at 11:06 PM
Hungary Remains the Most Corrupt Member State of the European Union for the Fourth Consecutive Year (TI Hungary)
transparency.hu/en/news/cpi-...
transparency.hu/en/news/cpi-...
“The difference in the campaign strategies of Fidesz and Tisza is becoming increasingly apparent”
・One-word program of Fidesz
・ 240-page program of TISZA
“How much would the promised tsunami of the Tisza program cost, and where can the money be raised?”
hvg.hu/360/20260212...
・One-word program of Fidesz
・ 240-page program of TISZA
“How much would the promised tsunami of the Tisza program cost, and where can the money be raised?”
hvg.hu/360/20260212...
Mennyibe kerülne a Tisza-program ígéretcunamija, és honnan lehet rá előteremteni a pénzt?
Mindjobban kiütközik a különbség a Fidesz és a Tisza kampánystratégiájában, amit még látványosabbá tesz a kormánypárt egyszavas és Magyarék 240 oldalas, 2-3 ezermilliárd forintnyi ígéretet egybesűrítő...
hvg.hu
February 13, 2026 at 10:45 PM
“The difference in the campaign strategies of Fidesz and Tisza is becoming increasingly apparent”
・One-word program of Fidesz
・ 240-page program of TISZA
“How much would the promised tsunami of the Tisza program cost, and where can the money be raised?”
hvg.hu/360/20260212...
・One-word program of Fidesz
・ 240-page program of TISZA
“How much would the promised tsunami of the Tisza program cost, and where can the money be raised?”
hvg.hu/360/20260212...
Orbán slams EU membership plan for Ukraine as ‘declaration of war’ (Politico)
www.politico.eu/article/hung...
www.politico.eu/article/hung...
Orbán slams EU membership plan for Ukraine as ‘declaration of war’
Hungarian prime minister says Brussels and Kyiv want to see him lose crucial April election.
www.politico.eu
February 13, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Orbán slams EU membership plan for Ukraine as ‘declaration of war’ (Politico)
www.politico.eu/article/hung...
www.politico.eu/article/hung...
MCC Brussels Launches “Democracy Interference” Observatory to Confront “EU Influence” on National Elections...
brussels.mcc.hu/news/mcc-bru...
brussels.mcc.hu/news/mcc-bru...
MCC Brussels Launches Democracy Interference Observatory to Confront EU Influence on National Elections
brussels.mcc.hu
February 13, 2026 at 10:41 PM
MCC Brussels Launches “Democracy Interference” Observatory to Confront “EU Influence” on National Elections...
brussels.mcc.hu/news/mcc-bru...
brussels.mcc.hu/news/mcc-bru...
Against the Russian-style blackmail using the recording of a sexual activity↓
"Péter Magyar files a complaint for unauthorized secret information collection. According to the president of Tisza, they are trying to discredit and blackmail him in an unprecedented way."
hvg.hu/itthon/20260...
"Péter Magyar files a complaint for unauthorized secret information collection. According to the president of Tisza, they are trying to discredit and blackmail him in an unprecedented way."
hvg.hu/itthon/20260...
Magyar Péter feljelentést tesz jogosulatlan titkos információgyűjtés miatt
A Tisza elnöke szerint példátlan módon akarják lejáratni és zsarolni.
hvg.hu
February 13, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Against the Russian-style blackmail using the recording of a sexual activity↓
"Péter Magyar files a complaint for unauthorized secret information collection. According to the president of Tisza, they are trying to discredit and blackmail him in an unprecedented way."
hvg.hu/itthon/20260...
"Péter Magyar files a complaint for unauthorized secret information collection. According to the president of Tisza, they are trying to discredit and blackmail him in an unprecedented way."
hvg.hu/itthon/20260...
"The domino fell in 2022, when EU funds ran out, an economic crisis developed, inflation was rising, the depletion of public services became an everyday experience and it was inevitable that everyone would start talking about it" (HVG)
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
Most fogjuk megfizetni majd a NER árát – új dokumentumfilm készült az elmúlt 16 évről
Irdatlan nagy összeget költöttünk el arra, hogy Orbánéknak 16 éven át kétharmada legyen – ez az egyik fő konklúziója a Direkt36 dokumentumfilmjének.
hvg.hu
February 13, 2026 at 10:26 PM
"The domino fell in 2022, when EU funds ran out, an economic crisis developed, inflation was rising, the depletion of public services became an everyday experience and it was inevitable that everyone would start talking about it" (HVG)
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
The government transferred 368 billion forints from the utility protection fund [...] to business development ans to local government officials (HVG)
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
368 milliárd forintot mozgatott át a kormány a rezsivédelmi alapból
Az összeg így is a rezsivédelemre megy, az Energiaügyi Minisztériumot és a távhőszolgáltatókat kompenzálják belőle. A kormány emellett több tízmilliárd forintot csoportosított át vállalkozásfejlesztés...
hvg.hu
February 13, 2026 at 10:22 PM
The government transferred 368 billion forints from the utility protection fund [...] to business development ans to local government officials (HVG)
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
hvg.hu/gazdasag/202...
Do not run in the election – the MSZP presidency recommends to the congress (HVG)
hvg.hu/itthon/20260...
hvg.hu/itthon/20260...
Ne induljanak el a választáson – javasolja az MSZP elnöksége a kongresszusnak
Négy választókerületben indulni fog MSZP-s jelölt, mert őket tartják a legesélyesebbnek.
hvg.hu
February 13, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Do not run in the election – the MSZP presidency recommends to the congress (HVG)
hvg.hu/itthon/20260...
hvg.hu/itthon/20260...