Laczó discusses shared East European history, the pitfalls of nationalism, and the need for inclusive remembrance across cultures.
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Ferenc Laczó discusses the shared historical connections among Hungarians, Romanians, Poles, and Czechs, noting that while this regional framework is less pronounced for younger EU citizens, shared experiences of persecution and poverty still connect East European youth. He suggests that discussing shared historical events, like the creation of Greater Romania and the Treaty of Trianon, could serve as a “symbolic bridge” for reconciliation. Regarding the Orbán regime, Laczó views its “restoration” as a combination of past nationalistic and conservative mentalities, which he sees as a contemporary paternalistic attempt to resist change. He argues that the regime’s foreign policy grandstanding is compensatory for a lack of genuine sovereignty. Laczó contends that Orbánism builds a national identity by preemptively rejecting contemporary liberalism, which he finds harmful because it resists the inherent progress implied by modernity. He suggests that illiberalism in the West mirrors a crisis of trust stemming from economic and cultural transformations. Concerning Holocaust memory, he notes a divide between successful international scholarship and a self-exculpatory tone within Hungarian politics. He concludes that while explicit statements of complicity in genocide would face opposition, the current trend of politicizing history hinders honest self-assessment. Finally, he discusses the difficulty in defining the line between antisemitic and critical discourse regarding Israel, and notes that algorithmic platforms deepen polarization, using the Israel-Palestine conflict as an example where European identity narratives are projected onto the issue.
