Hungary’s Illiberal Turn: Can Outsiders Help?

Abstract: Hungary’s ‘constitutional revolution’ presents the most significant case of democratic backsliding in the European Union to date. The illiberal constitution, introduced by the Orbán government and protected by a host of new appointees, undermines the independence of various political institutions and guarantees virtually unlimited powers for the ruling party. But it also challenges the core values of the European Union, while underscoring significant limitations of supranational community in regulating the more troublesome behavior of its member states. In this article, we identify the key weaknesses of the main domestic and international actors in resisting Orbá’s constitutional revolution and show why a Hungarian ‘colored revolution’ is most likely not in the cards. In a final section, we highlight some promising developments within Hungarian civil society, which deserve direct and indirect support from the international community.