Hungarians and Slovaks are too good at listing their grievances and too bad at tracking change. The row is over but the problems remain. Amid an outcry from neighbouring Hungary, and discreet pressure from other outsiders, Slovakia's government has backed away, for the moment, from implementing its badly drafted and intrusive-sounding new language law. Despite this, hopes that membership of the European Union and NATO would bring a permanent end to central Europe's tribal conflicts and historical grudges now look over-optimistic. It would be good if all concerned - the Slovak government, Hungarians in Slovakia and Hungary's political parties - paused for reflection about the troubling issues that divide them. But the economic crisis, and the likely victory of the tough-talking Viktor Orbán and his right-of-centre Fidesz party in Hungary's parliamentary elections next year, are among the reasons for expecting another flare-up sooner rather than later. A short list of Hungarian grievances would go like this.
The row is over but the problems remain. Amid an outcry from neighbouring Hungary, and discreet pressure from other outsiders, Slovakia's government has backed away, for the moment, from implementing its badly drafted and intrusive-sounding new language law.
Despite this, hopes that membership of the European Union and NATO would bring a permanent end to central Europe's tribal conflicts and historical grudges now look over-optimistic. It would be good if all concerned - the Slovak government, Hungarians in Slovakia and Hungary's political parties - paused for reflection about the troubling issues that divide them. But the economic crisis, and the likely victory of the tough-talking Viktor Orbán and his right-of-centre Fidesz party in Hungary's parliamentary elections next year, are among the reasons for expecting another flare-up sooner rather than later.
A short list of Hungarian grievances would go like this.
What and whose hope was that? Reasons for conflicts were swept under the rug during accession talks. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Subscribers have access to all our articles. Our archive currently contains roughly 30,000 articles, dating back to 1995. Registered users can read all articles published within the past three months. (There is one exception to this rule: registered users can read articles from our latest newspaper edition only one week after they were published.)
Registered users can read all articles published within the past three months. (There is one exception to this rule: registered users can read articles from our latest newspaper edition only one week after they were published.)
Email copy on the way.
