What US can learn from demise of Hungary's democracy

+ Super Tuesday leaves voters uninspired; anguish of Israeli peace activists US Edition - Today's top story: I watched Hungary's democracy dissolve into authoritarianism as a member of parliament − and I see troubling parallels in Trumpism and its appeal to workers [View in browser]( US Edition | 7 March 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( A headline is meant to capture the essence of a story and invite a potential reader to dive in. I’m terrible at headline writing. So I turn to our best headline writer on staff, Joel Abrams, who this week wrote one that perfectly described a story by scholar Gábor Scheiring: “I watched Hungary’s democracy dissolve into authoritarianism as a member of parliament − and I see troubling parallels in Trumpism and its appeal to workers.” Scheiring, a Hungarian political sociologist who’s a fellow at Harvard University this year, had pitched us a story about populism that he wanted to write. But when I saw that he had been a member of Hungary’s Parliament when strongman Viktor Orbán took over as that country’s prime minister in 2010, I asked him to write about what it was like during that period. Orbán is much admired by presidential candidate Donald Trump, and I felt that such a story could provide readers with a window on what happens when a democracy is led by a leader with authoritarian leanings. [Scheiring’s analysis of how Orbán rose to power and then wielded it]( offers powerful lessons for the U.S.: “When the economy fails to deliver, disillusionment with capitalism morphs into an apathy toward liberal democracy. If the liberal center appears uncaring, authoritarian populists can mobilize voters against both the cultural and economic threats posed by globalization.” The result in Hungary? “If the parliament is the political home of democracy, Hungary’s was vacant by 2012,” writes Scheiring. That happened in two years. Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Democracy President Donald Trump shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during a meeting in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Mark Wilson/Getty Images [I watched Hungary’s democracy dissolve into authoritarianism as a member of parliament − and I see troubling parallels in Trumpism and its appeal to workers]( Gábor Scheiring, Harvard University One of Donald Trump’s favorite politicians is the Hungarian authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán. Would a country led again by Trump embrace similar antidemocratic politics? Campaign volunteers set up signs encouraging people to vote. AP Photo/Vasha Hunt [After Super Tuesday, exhausted Americans face 8 more months of presidential campaigning]( Jared McDonald, University of Mary Washington It’s not just polarization that’s driving voters’ malaise − it’s something else, which carries a stark warning for the health of American democracy. 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