Budapest This Week
In recent years, China has begun to engage directly with the problem of sustainability. Tian Huifang is Director of the China-Central Eastern Europe Institute: on Tuesday, she's at the MCC mulling over the implications. 5PM.
At the HIIA, the Deputy Secretary of State for Technology, Szabolcs Szolnoki, is the key guest at a roundtable discussion on Artificial Intelligence and the Nation-State: Lessons from Hungary’s Strategy. 5PM, also Tuesday. Register here.
What’s Based
Landa Landing
Benjamin Landa has been nominated by Donald Trump as the new Hungarian Ambassador. Of course, the pick will still have to clear Senate vetting, but after nine months of sede vacante since the timely end of David Pressman, finally, habemus ambassador.
Here's what you need to know:
1 — Landa is a care home millionaire. Reputed to be worth over $300 million, he is the founder of New York's largest care home network, Sentosa.
2 — He is Orthodox Jewish, very active in the community, and a financial supporter of several Brooklyn synagogues. 3 — Landa is not an obviously political pick: apart from fundraising for Republican George Pataki in New York, not much is on the record about his political views. 4 — In September, Israeli news site Belaaz published a picture of Landa, Trump, and Trump's ally Roger Stone, together in the Oval Office.
5 — Other potential picks were:
Bryan Leib: A pro-Orbán conservative activist who criticised Biden's former ambassador, David Pressman.
David Cornstein: Trump’s previous ambassador (2018–2020), a major donor who closely aligned with Orbán. Other News
Paper of the Week
The Liberal World Order in Survival Mode
In 2025, is 'international law' still a thing? Donald Trump is dubious. Vladimir Putin has taken a big bite out of it. In Europe, the concept still crawls along on its belly. A good person to pose the question to is Philip Allot. Philip is Professor Emeritus of International Public Law at the University of Cambridge. Contra our expectations, his latest paper for the Danube Institute argues that its death is overstated, with major powers like China still keen to keep the post-'45 dream alive.
"The current government of the United States is in what seems to be at the isolationist, realist, nationalist, and protectionist swing of its international relations pendulum. This is a less important phenomenon than it would have been when the United States dominated a unipolar world. The members of the new multipolar world, especially small states, and China as a dominant member of that world, seem to be standing firm in their support of traditional international law."
Eyes & Ears
Comings & Goings
Coming: The Most Reverend Father Mario Alexis Portella touches down at the end of the week, for a visiting fellowship at the Danube Institute. Father Mario is Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Florence and Priest of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. He will be with the DI until early 2026, saints be praised.
City Life
To Milenáris Park, Friday morning, for the unveiling of the Margaret Thatcher memorial. Sir Mark and Lady Carol, Mrs T's twins, were both in attendance, as was Gergey Gulyás, minister in the PM's office. All the speeches were brisk and piercing, Bill Cash best of all; the ceremony concluded with Land of Hope & Glory, and much was made of her fondness for Jószef Antall, and the 1984 visit to the Great Market Hall. Carol, fashion-forward in a leather ra-ra skirt, black trainers, Gucci glasses, was quite moved as she posed for photos after:"I think it's fabulous... whoever put this whole morning together, well they deserve a pay rise."
Friend of the sub Virág Varga suggests finding a seat for Erik Satie this week, October 13. Satie was a modernist composer, like a more sparse Debussy. He died a hundred years ago, so MUPA - the beautiful new concert hall downriver of Corvinus - are reviving a selection of his finest works.
Dr Eric Hendriks, China expert and dapper don, writes to cut us in on his couture secrets: “The Kalpag Hat Boutique is a brilliant hat shop run by an older Hungarian couple. The women’s hats are varied and colourful. For men, it is the perfect place to find a dark green, dark brown or grey winter fedora. All hats are handmade and of high quality.”
Noémi Pálfalvi, our international relations director, has been to the new Time Out Market, which opened last month. Based in a venerable building on the corner of Blaha Luhjza Tér, the Time Out is emblematic of a new modern Budapest presently emerging. After a 10 billion Ft renovation, its Rococo revival core is built around series of kitchen stalls, each offering Michelin-tier eating for between 3500 - 10 000 Ft per dish. Noémi recommends the Vietnamese, but BiB's further investigations suggest: "It's all good, man."
We don't know who needs to hear this, but on Friday night, there is a singles party at the MCC Scruton café.
Dates For Your Diary
Battle of Ideas, London — 18 - 19 OctoberMCC Conference on Leadership — 21 OctoberBattle for the Soul of Europe, Brussels — 3 - 4 December “Kinek nincsen pénze, ne menjen piacra!"— He who hasn’t money, shouldn’t go to the market.