Visegrad: from intellectual idea to political reality
Visegrad: from intellectual idea to political reality

Summary/Abstract: Visegrad Four cooperation can be characterized as a mix of paradox and success. Initiated by former dissidents – Walesa, Havel and Antall – it has gained its reputation and reached its current heights through political pragmatists and populists: Viktor Orbán, Robert Fico and Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The V4 countries are Germany’s main business partners, but it is a relationship that is also a key test of power in the region, especially over conflicting interests (migration crises, EU reform). Russia, remains an issue due to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will bypass Central Europe and Ukraine, favored by Germany. The V4, thought, was designed to pursue foreign policy goals and interests, and it has been successful in dealing with local nationalism and confrontations. The Visegrad Four is as much about the political emancipation of the region as about the inner weaknesses of the V4 countries.

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