American credentials versus Hungarian fundamentals

To hear it from the former American ambassador to Hungary, Eleni Kounalakis, Hungary is slipping from once-promising democracy to an autocracy within the confines of Europe. Having served in the country from January 2010 to July 2013, she offers her distinctly American view of the impacts of Fidesz’s supermajority win in the 2010 elections.

As all political memoirs, this is part-personal narrative, part-professional story and part-political chronicle. It covers plenty of information on Hungary – its history, people and culture – as well as life in the glitzy world of diplomacy.
For anyone new to Hungary, it is worthwhile reading; and if you are Hungarian it might be interesting to hear how an American views the country’s history and politics. While Kounalakis is undoubtedly a strong diplomat and competent storyteller, the most interesting aspect of her memoir is her opinion of where Hungary is headed.
There’s a story she tells early in the book about her children meeting a real king. “Kings are bad,” says her young son, just spitting distance from the King of Greece.
Why wouldn’t he think that? Americans are taught from a young age that their forefathers fought a revolution to rid themselves of “unelected kings”, and the boy had been told by his parents that kings “could tell everyone what to do” and “made all the rules and could change them all the time”.
Kounalakis went on to teach her children that “now we have presidents and senators, and they represent the people instead of ruling them”. It’s an interesting anecdote; especially considering that she all but considers Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to be changing the rules and telling people what to do. Or, in other words, she considers him a modern-day king.
She laments the European Union’s reaction to what she considers Hungary’s slide towards autocracy. “Freedom, to Viktor Orbán, did not mean personal liberty within the rule of law, as it did to the ancient Greeks and it does to Americans,” she instructs, “to Orbán, Hungarian freedom meant freedom from the influence of anyone who wasn’t Hungarian.”
Of course, Kounalakis adds a personal touch to what is essentially her personal memoir. She has an interesting professional background as the former president of one of California’s largest land development firms. She has a compelling backstory of being the daughter of Greek immigrants.
Even her anecdotes from her time as a Democratic Party fundraiser offer insights into the American political system. These all paint a poignant picture of how she became the first Greek-American woman to be appointed ambassador.
When she isn’t informing the reader about Hungarian history and culture, she offers a number of entertaining anecdotes. Among the most memorable is a story of how she was invited on a wild boar hunt soon after her posting to Budapest. Without spoiling the story, let me tell you that she was the only woman in the party – and the only one to bag a boar.
“Madam Ambassador: Three Years of Diplomacy, Dinner Parties, and Democracy in Budapest” has been received with tepid warmth by critics – many lauding her ability as ambassador and her knack for spinning a yarn, while criticising the book’s flow-stopping forays into Hungarian history.
While the book can be a bit tedious at times – especially for those who already have an understanding of the country – it should be required reading for anyone concerned about the political course Hungary is taking under Viktor Orbán.
It works as a cursory introduction to Hungary – especially from an American perspective. It is also worthwhile for those interested in learning about the diplomatic life.
And while she doesn’t quite draw a direct line about her “kings are bad” anecdote and Orbán, the connection is certainly not that difficult to draw.

“Madam Ambassador: Three Years of Diplomacy, Dinner Parties, and Democracy in Budapest”, Eleni Kounalakis, 320 pages, hardcover, The New Press, EUR 17.00.
3.5 out of five stars