At the Coalface
At the Coalface is a series of conversations hosted by Philippe Rose.
Philippe and his guests share stories about their life beyond the headlines of international affairs. They look for lessons learned about making an impact in the world as practitioners in diplomacy, international organisations, NGOs, journalism and the private sector.
Many of Philippe's guests are connected by their common experience of taking time away from work to attend Fletcher School's Global Master of Arts Programme.
At the Coalface
Zsuzsanna Szelényi - On safeguarding democracy from the autocrat's playbook, lessons from Hungary
In this episode, I speak with Zsuzsanna Szelényi. Zsuzsanna shares with me her incredible journey at the heart of Hungary’s political transformation since the fall of the Soviet Union. She talks about the early days of Hungarian democracy and the levers used by Victor Orban to shape the country’s institutions towards a more authoritarian, illiberal form of governance. This was the subject of her acclaimed book, Tainted Democracy, published in 2022. Zsuzsanna talks about her personal trajectory as a lifelong politician and how she dedicated her career to issues of human rights, migration, and development, the bedrock of European democracy.
Recorded on 19 June 2024.
Instagram: @at.the.coalface
Connect with Zsuzsanna on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/zsuzsanna-szelenyi-69047318. You can find more information about Zsuzsanna's latest book, Tainted Democracy Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary, on her publisher's website.
And don’t forget to subscribe to At the Coalface for new episodes every two weeks.
