It’s war. And if you don’t acknowledge it, you’re sure to lose. Ukraine is the front line, the hottest part of this war, but make no mistake that Putin understands that Russia's global campaign of sabotage, propaganda, and economic blackmail are acts of war.

Gave some comments earlier this week for The Washington Post Steve Hendrix on the Pride in Budapest and its political consequences: A large chunk of Hungary’s electorate doesn’t have a problem with Pride or [LGBTQ] people,” said Peter Kreko, director of the Political Capital

🗣️🗞️ It was “a loss for Orban, who promised his voters that there would be no [Budapest] Pride, "our Research Affiliate Peter Kreko told The Washington Post. Read what else he said: 👉 tinyurl.com/mrh86yzf

❗️ Sunbathing with the enemy: Meet the Kremlin propagandists who vacation in Europe despite demonizing the West on air A new Сергей Ежов investigation finds 70 of Putin’s propagandists remain unsanctioned, freely traveling to the "russophobic" West. theins.press/en/inv/283132

“This is not a bug but a feature in both systems (...) The way Trump uses his family in his political and business operations, so does, increasingly, Orbán," said Peter Kreko , director of the Political Capital to the Financial Times . tinyurl.com/28cz94rd

🚨New paper in Trends in Cognitive Sciences 🚨 Why do some ideas spread widely, while others fail to catch on? @Jayvanbavel and I review the “psychology of virality,” or the psychological and structural factors that shape information spread online and offline. Thread 🧵(1/n)

Political Capital director Peter Kreko was quoted in The Associated Press on Trump’s tariffs, warning that Hungary’s seemingly close ties with the US won’t shield it from economic harm: “Mutual nationalisms aren't a win-win.” “Trump gives nothing for free." tinyurl.com/yxpsszdm

💬🗞️ "This is not a bug but a feature in both systems. The way Trump uses his family in his political and business operations, so does, increasingly, Orban," our Research Affiliate Peter Kreko told Financial Times. Details: 👉 cutt.ly/srPo70KS

Orbán says he would have negotiated a better economic deal with President Donald J. Trump than UvL’s Commission. the automotive industry in Hungary -among others- can suffer economically. My earlier take to The Associated Press Justin Spike: “The unquestionably good bilateral relations simply cannot compensate

“authoritarians who govern small countries such as Serbia no longer need to fear the condemnation(…)of the American president when they crack down on their opponents,enrich themselves, or tighten their grip on power.” ⁦must-read by ⁦Brian Klaas⁩ theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

Radical Leftist Ronald Reagan on tariffs in 1987:

On the situation in #Hungary and so much else it was excellent to talk to Peter Kreko #postenlightenment #tribalpolitics #populism #identitarianpolitics Europe's Futures IWM ERSTE Foundation | @erstestiftung.org on Bluesky Boris Marte Hedvig Morvai Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju

I spoke with the great Ivan Vejvoda on IWM’s Vienna Coffee House Conversations about the rise of a “post-Enlightenment” era—where feelings beat facts, tribal politics thrive, and disinfo reshapes democracy. We also looked at Hungary ahead of 2026.

These changes in personality are pretty shocking

The U.S. envoy is grossly incompetent and his confusion is causing diplomatic crises. wsj.com/world/ukraine-…

Trump is imitating CCP by extending control into economy: “A generation ago conventional wisdom held that as China liberalized, its economy would come to resemble America’s. Instead, capitalism in America is starting to look like China.” Greg Ip wsj.com/economy/the-u-…

In IWM's Vienna Coffee House Conversations, our director, Peter Kreko, recently discussed with Ivan Vejvoda the emotional, myth-driven, tribal politics in "post-Enlightenment" Hungary, taking a closer look at the 2026 parliamentary elections. tinyurl.com/5fuxsuc7

A distinct win for Putin 🇷🇺. He didn’t yield an inch. A distinct setback for Trump 🇺🇸. No ceasefire in sight. And no one knows where 🇺🇸 policy is heading in next weeks. What the world sees is a weak and wobbling America.

Accidental transparency at its best- Government papers found in an Alaskan hotel reveal new details of Trump-Putin summit. npr.org/2025/08/16/nx-…

Finally, someone is happy with the outcome of the Alaska summit