Foreign Digest: Hungary, Syria, Communist China and North Korea

Hungary: The European Union Commission’s annual report on the rule of law found that there has been no progress in Hungary on corruption, bribery, conflicts of interest, lobbying, political party and campaign funding, the independence of the media, and allowing a secure place for civic organizations. The EU report also cited uncertainty for businesses because of state intervention into the free market. The EU had frozen funds to Hungary for its infractions. Some EU funds had been unfrozen only because of changes to the Hungarian judicial system. Hungary delayed defensive aid to Ukraine to defend against Russian aggression and the self-described “illiberal” Hungarian President, Viktor Orban, whom the EU identified as autocratic and who is ruling by decree, engaged as rotating EU Commission President in a visit to Russia that appeared to be appeasement, thereby provoking a boycott of informal meetings held by Orban or hosted in Hungary by the other EU Commission members. Orban also visited on his appeasement tour Donald Trump, who admires the anti-migrant Orban and who opposes American aid to Ukraine because of his favorable relationship with Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, the ex-Soviet intelligence officer who is trying to restore the Soviet Union. Trump’s chosen running mate is also an admirer of the authoritarian Orban. The center-right European People’s Party, an EU parliamentary group, had suspended Orban’s party, which later withdrew to join a nationalist group. A center-right party has emerged as the leading opponent to Orban, who has ruled for 14 years, in the 2025 presidential elections. Syria: United Nations last week condemned the tyrannical Syrian regime of Bashar Assad for gross human rights violations. Syria has been in civil war since Syrians revolted against the dictatorship in 2011. Several hundred thousand people have been killed and millions fled. The Assad regime, backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist ally, Hezbollah, as well as the Russian Federation, have targeted civilian areas with bombings, including with chemical weapons. Communist China and North Korea: United States last week sanctioned Chinese citizens for supporting Communist North Korea’s missile and space program. The U.S. also charged last week in abstentia a North Korean military intelligence officer for leading cyberattacks in 2021 that targeted hospitals, thereby interrupting patient care, for which ransom was received, as well as the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, military bases and defense and energy companies, including in South Korea and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and even Communist China, even though it is an ally of North Korea. Secret defense capabilities were exposed. The ransom, which was laundered by the officer through Communist China to fund more attacks, was recovered. Although the arrest of the suspect is unlikely, the charges will enable economic sanctions to be imposed that will make it harder for North Korea to collect ransoms from hospitals again. Today, the U.S. announced the establishment of a joint military command in Japan to respond more quickly than from the current American headquarters in Hawaii, to any invasion of Taiwan by Communist China or South Korea by Communist North Korea.