Orban’s Populism Followed The Info Wars Script We See Everywhere

BusinessPolicyOrban’s Populism Followed The Info Wars Script We See EverywhereByMelik Kaylan,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Melik Kaylan covered global geostrategic conflicts for three decades Follow AuthorApr 28, 2026, 05:00am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 15, 2018. (Photo by Yuri KADOBNOV / AFP POOL / AFP) (Photo by YURI KADOBNOV/AFP POOL/AFP via Getty Images)AFP POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesHungary’s change of government has infused hope for many there and elsewhere in areas far beyond politics. The populist-authoritarian model embodied by Orban came with a cluster of attributes that seemed to render it unbeatable. These include oligarchic economy, media monopoly, institutional corruption, bribery of the electorate and the like. In other countries such as Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Belarus, the aging leaders have endured in power over two decades. What made Hungary different was its presence in the EU whose overarching structure prevented Orban from achieving complete state capture. That is to say, the EU imposed a reality check. By requiring certain immobile rules for democratically testing a politician’s legitimacy, the EU literally kept a reality test alive. It kept reality measurable and contained within certain boundaries. This is a crucial factor because since the early days of Putinism’s rise, the attack on dependable information has intensified and metastasized across continents to the point of creating widespread uncertainty on any important topic of news. Consider what we do or don’t know about the situation in Hormuz. Or the migrant situation in Europe. Or the state of things in Syria. Or the fundamentals of the stock market. As this column has noted before repeatedly,...