Can U.S. Halt Hungary's Backsliding?

The latest story offering comic relief for the diplomatic community in Budapest has to do with improved ties between Hungary and the Pacific Island of Tonga. Although the population of the Kingdom of Tonga is only about 100,000, it has a vote in the United Nations. Early in 2011, when George Tupou V, King of Tonga, dropped by to accept the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, his Hungarian hosts expected his majesty to be so grateful in return that he would support Hungary’s candidacy in October 2011 for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. As it happened, the final, 17th round of balloting for “the East European seat” gave Azerbaijan 155 votes, Slovenia 13 votes, and Hungary one. The ballot is secret, so no one knows if Tonga actually delivered its vote. Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi, a skilled and experienced diplomat, did the only thing he could: He blamed his predecessors, saying, “We began [preparations] with a deficit.”