The Westernization of the East, or the Easternization of the West?
The Westernization of the East, or the Easternization of the West?

Summary/Abstract: Central European and Hungarian politics have been impacted by four different effects since the turn of 2002-2003, when the Atlantic crisis erupted. First came the Bush doctrine and its European counter-effects in 2002-2004. Second were the “colour revolutions” – primarily the “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine at the turn of 2004-2005 – and a resurgent Russia. Then the Merkel effect set in, with the change in European – and foremost German – policy and the attempt at finding a balance in 2006-2007. And fourth, parallel with the prior effect, came the shift in emphasis of American foreign and security policy as a result of the Democrat victory in US congressional elections, the fall of the neoconservatives, and the appearance of the Rice-Gates-Paulson realpolitik. The article provides an overview of how the newly acceded Central European EU member states, Hungary among them, have been forced to adapt and develop amid fluctuating conditions of security, foreign and energy policy in the past five years.

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