Foreign Digest: Hungary, Russia, Syria and Iran

Hungary: Donald Trump endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for re-election in the Hungarian parliamentary elections in April. Using the presidency openly to interfere in a foreign State’s (particularly an ally, as Hungary is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) free elections is inappropriate in the first place, but to endorse a self-described “illiberal” premier who rules autocratically by decree, is corrupt, anti-migrant and pro-Russian is scandalous, and considering his opponent, Peter Magyar, whose center-right party leads the polls, it is also un-Republican and un-conservative politics. As I have noted, Orban’s nationalist xenophobia and anti-European Union views have made him a darling of the self-described “nationalist” American far right and Trumpists. Their fondness for Orban suggests their authoritarian, isolationist and bigoted vision for America. Russia: Russia poisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2024 with poison from a South American frog while he was imprisoned in an Arctic penal colony on politically motivated charges, according to five European States who had examined samples taken from Navalny’s body. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden are also reporting the Russian Federation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for breaching the Chemical Weapons Convention that Russia had signed. The European findings validate two independent laboratory tests that Navalny’s widow had conducted. Opposition leaders, human rights advocates, journalists and anyone else who criticizes Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin are routinely assaulted, poisoned, killed, persecuted, imprisoned or banished. Even Russian exiles have been targeted by the Kremlin. Navalny had been poisoned in 2020 with a nerve agent by Russia. Syria: The United States abandoned its military base in northeastern Syria after brokering the integration deal between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Government I had posted about in my last post. The U.S. is relocating its forces to Jordan to continue to prevent the Islamic State terrorist organization from reconquering the territory it had seized in Syria and Iraq, where there are also American bases. The Islamic State broke away from the Sunni Islamist terrorist organization al Qaeda, which had killed nearly 3,000 people in the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America. Both organizations remain a threat throughout the Islamic world. The abandonment of the base is part of the reason I urged in my last post for the U.S. to ensure the deal is implemented and that our SDF allies, particularly the Kurds, are not also abandoned to terrorists. Iran: Yesterday was a Day of Action, as called by Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, to overthrow the tyrannical Islamist theocracy Islamic Republic of Iran and transition to liberty and representative government in what he calls Iran’s “Lion and Sun Revolution,” referring to the symbol on the imperial flag before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Protests were led in Munich, Germany, where Pahlavi spoke; Los Angeles, California; and Toronto, Canada, among others around the world by exiled Iranians and freedom-loving people. Pahlavi called for six action steps: dismantling the regime's means for repression, cutting off the regime's financial lifelines, ensure free Internet and communications, expel the regime’s “diplomats” and prosecute its criminals, release all political prisoners, and prepare to recognize a transitional government. During the Munich Security Conference, Pahlavi also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The two expressed mutual support for freedom for each others’ people, as Pahlavi expressed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity against Russian aggression. Iran provides Russia with arms. The Islamic Republic also foments Islamist revolution around the Shi’ite Islamic world and is the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism.