The conservative international has convened in Budapest.

Editorial

On May 19 and 20, an unprecedented Hungarian session of CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, was held in Budapest. CPAC is the main congressional event of the American Right, held once a year (since 1974) and regularly hosting even incumbent or former Republican presidents. In recent years, CPAC has begun to internationalize, with ad hoc events in countries other than the US. The Hungarian event is the first to take place on European soil.

Many prestigious speakers attended. Just to name a few, on the Hungarian side were Prime Minister Viktor Orban (a full transcription of his speech can be found on our website), Justice Minister Judit Varga, Speaker of the National Assembly Lazslo Kover. Among Americans, influencer Candace Owens, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum, "Parler" administrator George Farmer. Other Europeans included former Czech president Vaclav Klaus, "Vlaams Belang" president Tom Van Grieken, FPO president Herbert Kikl, "Rassemblement National" president Jordan Bardella, League deputy secretary Lorenzo Fontana. Nigel Farage, Santiago Abascal, Giorgia Meloni, Tucker Carlson, and Donald Trump sent video messages.

Hundreds were in attendance, selected by the organizers and from all over the world. Also present was a delegation from the Machiavelli Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Budapest was thus converted, at least for a few days, into the world capital of conservatism. Various organizations took advantage of the convergence of so many international right-wingers to stage side events, such as one sponsored by the youth branch of Italian "Lega" that brought together youth representatives from a variety of European parties with those from the U.S. Republican Party.

For its part, the International Republican Institute (IRI), in collaboration with Heritage Foundation, organized a discussion session on the morning of Saturday, May 21, under the title "Transatlantic relations 2.0. The new global strategic environment for Transatlantic cooperation and values." Centro Studi Machiavelli President Daniele Scalea participated in this meeting as a speaker on the panel focusing on China. Other speakers included former Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi, IRI Senior Director for Transatlantic Strategy Jan Surotchak, Heritage's foreign policy institute Vice President James Carafano, and former Hungarian Ambassador to Washington Reka Szemerkenyi.

The intense Hungarian days are a reminder of the importance of rallying and bringing together exponents of the global Right. Building cooperation networks and synergies, developing thinking and strategies through debate, are valuable resources in the ongoing tough struggle that is common to conservatives throughout the West.