In this special episode of Reflections from Budapest, we had the honor of having Colonel Christopher P. Costa as our guest for the second time in our podcast series. Colonel Costa was a former US government official with 35 years of experience, including 25 years in military counterintelligence, human intelligence (HUMINT), and special operations forces (SOF). He also served as the Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the White House from 2017-18....

Communist states had, and still have, a millennial sense of utopianism. But is secular liberal democracy utopian, too? Could it be that our democratic utopianism is presentist? This is what Professor Zoltán Balázs of Corvinus University argues in the new episode of Buda Hills Podcast. With our rights "revealed" in the American and French Revolutions, democratic utopianism has located us at the end of history. We now live in a sort of eternal future in which we must fight to maintain...

Historian, theologian and ethicist Nigel Biggar CBE, emeritus Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford and Danube Institute Visiting Fellow David Oldroyd-Bolt discusses Professor Biggar's bestselling book 'Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning', which his original publisher tried to cancel before it had even been published, as well as the explosion of public antisemitism across the West since Hamas invaded Israel on 7 October last year and the moral nature of the...

In this special episode of Reflections from Budapest, we continued our discussion with Amir Avivi, a brigadier general retired from the Israel Defence Forces and founder and chairman of the Israeli Defence and Security Forum (IDSF). We asked General Avivi about his command experiences in Gaza operations and how the 2005 Gaza withdrawal of Israeli troops contributed to the October 7th massacre. General Avivi also gave his insight into the future of Israel in the aftermath of October 7th and...

In this special episode of Reflections from Budapest, we had a discussion with Amir Avivi, a brigadier general retired from the Israel Defence Forces and founder and chairman of the Israeli Defence and Security Forum (IDSF). We asked General Avivi about his background, upbringing, and his first-hand military career experiences. General Avivi also gave insights into how and why IDSF was founded and the deep influence the organization has on the Israeli government, society and military policy....

The Orthodox Christian churches are ancient, yet they are embroiled in twenty-first-century geopolitics. Two Orthodox-majority states, Russia and Ukraine, are locked in a devastating conflict that seems to be reshaping the world order. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Samuel Noble, a historian of Orthodox Christianity. We ask him: Are we seeing the emergence of NATO and non-NATO strands of Orthodoxy? And have recent events proved that Samuel Huntington’s idea of an “Orthodox heartland” was...

In this special episode of Reflections from Budapest, we had a discussion with His Excellency Yacov Hadas-Handelsman, Israeli Ambassador to Hungary. We asked Mr Hadas-Handelsman about his diplomatic career and the relationship between Hungary and Israel. Mr Hadas-Handelsman detailed Hamas’s brutality on the October 7th massacre and the implications of the war in Gaza. He also shared his insights on the future of the process of Israel establishing relations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab...

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we continued our discussion with Professor Yaakov Ariel, a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Professor Ariel specializes in the study of Christian-Jewish relations. We asked Professor Ariel about whether incidents of violence in Israel by radical Jewish groups against Christian communities have increased considerably since the formation of the current government. We also talked about whether the...

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Professor Yaakov Ariel, a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Professor Ariel specializes in the study of Christian-Jewish relations. We asked Professor Ariel about the Christian-Jewish relationship in the US as well as in Israel. We also discussed Christian Zionism and American Christians' support of Israel. To conclude, we asked Professor Ariel whether the notion that the assimilation of...

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we continued our discussion with Dr. Jürgen Bühler, the President of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ). In our conversation, Dr. Bühler explained the importance of Christian Zionism and the Biblical approach of Israel and shared his insights on Messianic Judaism. To conclude, Dr. Bühler shared the ICEJ’s plans to continue supporting Israeli communities in need, building bomb shelters, providing aid, and organizing pro-Israel...

Inthis episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Dr. Jürgen Bühler, the President of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ). In our conversation, Dr. Bühler walked us through his fascinating family story and the history and work of ICEJ. Dr. Bühler shared his insights on the importance of the Christian-Jewish relationship in Israel. He also detailed how Israeli Christian communities were affected by attacks they faced from radical Jewish groups, with a particular emphasis...

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we continued our discussion with Or Yissachar, the Head of Research Department at the Israel Defence and Security Forum. We asked Mr Yissachar about the future of Gaza, how the infrastructure would be rebuilt and who would fill the vacuum if Israel eliminates Hamas. We also talked about the refugee question of Palestinians. To conclude, we discussed the war's effect on Europe, the motivation of pro-Hamas demonstrations, the upsurge in...

In the special episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Or Yissachar, the Head of Research Department at the Israel Defence and Security Forum. In our conversation, Mr Yissachar walked us through the deep historical background of the current conflict in Gaza and how the war affected the West Bank. We also talked about Hezbollah's involvement in the Israel-Hamas war. To conclude, we talked about why Hamas's brutality on October 7th was aimed mainly at peace-seeking left-wing Israeli...

An interview with Dr. Gadi Taub historian at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem on the war in Gaza, the character of Hamas' terror state and the problematic western reaction to the atrocity of 7th October.

An interview with Dr Tim Williams on the impact of Covid 19 on the modern city and how cities adapt to the post pandemic world. Tim Williams is practice leader, Cities, for Grimshaw International Architects and has served as special adviser to five UK Ministers for Cities.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we continued our discussion with Elie Pieprz, the director of International Relations of the Israel Defence and Security Forum. Following the first part of this broadcast, we discussed why it's important for Israel to reject calls for an immediate ceasefire. In our conversation, we also asked about the 2005 Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas's responsibility for the poor situation in Gaza. To conclude, we asked Mr Pieprz about the Yesha...

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Professor Asbed Kotchikian, an Associate Professor of Political science and International relations at the American University of Armenia about the Armenian presence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He shared his own experience in Kurdistan as well as the struggles and the current reality of Armenians living in Kurdistan and Iraq.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Elie Pieprz, the director of International Relations of the Israel Defence and Security Forum. In our conversation, Mr Pieprz walked us through what happened to Israel on October 7, Black Saturday, when Hamas brutally attacked Israel, killed over 1200 Israeli civilians and took around 240 more as hostages. We also talked about the intelligence failure of Israel and whether the attack could've been prevented. To conclude, we talked about...

What is cosmopolitanism? What is its history? Can there ever be a truly universal culture? And how do European and East Asian cultures think differently about these questions? In this episode we talk with David Tse-Chien Pan, Professor of European Languages and Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and editor of Telos Journal in New York. For more on his publications and research, see here.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we continued our conversation with Professor Joas Wagemakers, an Associate Professor of Islam and Arabic at Utrecht University, who specializes in the intellectual history of modern Islam and Salafism. Following the 1st part in this broadcast, we discuss the history of the confrontation between Israel and the Gaza Strip, the current situation and how these two sides are perceived in the EU and the Islamic world.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Professor Joas Wagemakers, an Associate Professor of Islam and Arabic at Utrecht University, who specializes in the intellectual history of modern Islam and Salafism. By listening to the discussion, we can get an overview of Salafism and Hamas and their historical and ideological sides. Also, how do other religions and countries in the Middle East relate to them?

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Jeremy P. Barker, the Director of the Middle East Action Team for the Religious Freedom Institute, about the current situation of the Christian communities in Iraqi Kurdistan. Mr. Barker spoke in detail about the factors, such as violence against women that adversely affect Christians in Iraq today. He also expressed his opinion on whether the Christian community has a future in Kurdistan and Iraq.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Jeremy P. Barker, the Director of the Middle East Action Team for the Religious Freedom Institute, about his fieldwork in Iraq. By listening the discussion, we can get an overview of how the situation of the Christian communities in Iraq has changed in recent decades. Mr. Barker also expressed his opinion on the effectiveness of Hungary Helps.

In this episode of Reflections from Budapest, we asked Father Rifat Bader, director and editor-in-chief of the Jordan-based Catholic Center for Studies and Media, about Jordanian Christians' situation. Father Rifat has overseen research, journalism, and social media productions focusing on the Christian Arab experience in the Middle East, aiming to support and empower those of the Catholic or other Christian faiths in the region, as well as constructive and positive dialogue between political...

Has the Cultural Revolution that Mao Zedong headed – his attempt to suppress the “Four Olds” in China – shaped Westerners’ hostility to their own “old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits”? In this episode we talk with David Martin Jones, Director of Research at the Danube Institute and Visiting Professor at King's College London. For Martin Jones’s book on Maoism in the West, see here.