"The case against Orbán is set out with great passion in this convincing indictment of the most powerful political figure in the eastern EU.This is gloves-off political writing at its best."--The Financial Times "Paul Lendvai, the Hungarian writer with Budapest roots, sheds light upon the darkening internal affairs of the young Hungarian democracy.Lendvai provides indispensable help for our orientation and attitude towards the country and its representatives."--Die Zeit "Paul Lendvai is a legend. No one knows Hungary better or is better equipped to navigate its political decent. Lendvai's thesis weaves the critical insights of an outsider with a native's fluency and understanding, all translated through a journalist's eye for detail and narrative, to portray the grim reality of a teetering democratic society."--Frederick Kempe, President and CEO of the Atlantic Council and author of Berlin 1961 "Lendvai, a Hungarian-born veteran Austrian journalist, paints a discouraging picture of Hungary.

For those who assume that the country, safely sheltered in the European Union and NATO, is well on the way to democratic stability and western European-style liberalism, this book will come as a bit of a shock. In Lendvai's eyes, the wilful, power-hungry Orbán has evolved from a dynamic leader into a calculating nationalist bent on closing off democratic options and ready to exploit anti-Semitism and anti-Roma sentiment. Although Lendvai's indictment is sharpest against Hungary's current leader, he makes plain that the corruption and economic recklessness of earlier governments did their part to bring about the country's degradation. Not surprisingly, Lendvai's assessment has kicked up more than a little dust in Hungary."--Foreign Affairs "Hungary faces a major crisis affecting its national economy, as well as its foreign policy. With the country moving away from Europe, it is no longer certain whether it will remain part of it. In this critical situation Professor Lendvai's book provides an authoritative account of the background of this crisis and its likely outcome."--Walter Laqueur, author of After the Fall: the End of the European Dream "Lendvai is one of the grand old men of Central European journalism.

but never before has one of his titles provoked such fierce reactions from the powers that be."--Paul Hockenos, The Boston Review.