A whole century has passed since the events described in Erich Maria Remarque’s Nothing New on the Western Front/Im Westen nichts Neues.
Not that we’ve learned much during this time…
1968
Brezhnev sends Russian troops to freeze back the Prague Spring.
Ceausescu, the communist dictator who ruled Romania at that time, refused to take part. He had even summoned enough courage to chastise the ‘outside intervention’.
“No excuse can be found for…”
1978
Ten years later he was driven around London in a state carriage by Queen Elizabeth.
As a pat on the the back for his apparent independence from Moscow, as an attempt to weaken the communist ‘camp’ … both at the same time…
Never mind… We, Romanians, were very proud at that time while Elizabeth – and her advisers, must have had quite a heart-burn… specially later, after Ceausescu had started flying his true colors…
1989
Romania’s was the second to last European communist regime to disintegrate and the only one which had ended in a self inflicted blood bath. Ceausescu, and his wife – ‘the Presidential Couple’!, were shot at the end of a very short trial during which both had been found guilty of genocide, treason and subversion.
2014
Twenty five years later, Russia’s rising star was lionized by some in the European media.
Hungary’s Prime Minister was jokingly hailed as “the dictator” by the President of the European Commission.
Currently the Americans are trying to determine whether Putin has somehow influenced their last electoral process,
while Orban continues to build walls around Hungary.
Small wonder then for these two to become bosom buddies, regardless of what drives each of them…
“Putin will receive the honor in the Parliament during his visit to the 2017 World Judo Championships in Budapest on Monday.”
“Putin will attend the judo by invitation of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. It will be Putin’s second visit to Hungary this year.”
nicichiarasa 