Darren Spinck

I assume that question is directed to me. First, I don’t “work for Orban”. Second, I am a non-resident fellow at Danube. Third, my focus is on regional connectivity from Central Asia, across the Caspian, to the South Caucasuses, across the Black Sea, to Central and Eastern Europe (as well as US foreign policy). I have no professional focus whatsoever on Hungary’s domestic politics.

@DSpinck @HansGutbrod @InstituteDanube @IliaStateUni Why do you work for Orbán then?

The hypocrisy is absolutely volcanic. For years, Orbán’s propaganda machine screamed about “foreign interference”, “sovereignty”, “rolling dollars”, and evil foreign money corrupting Hungarian politics. Meanwhile, the same regime was quietly using Hungarian taxpayer money to build its own foreign influence network through the state-funded Danube Institute, tied to the Batthyány Lajos Foundation. According to Átlátszó, the Danube Institute became one of the regime’s main vehicles for cultivating foreign right-wing populists, MAGA-world conservatives, Brexit nostalgics, and sympathetic Western intellectuals. And this was not some harmless academic tea party. The contracts reportedly required media appearances, articles, conferences, networking, and the promotion of Orbán’s Hungary abroad. In plain English: Hungarian public money was used to manufacture foreign validation for Orbánism. The spending exploded. Átlátszó says Danube Institute research contracts rose from 76.76 million forints in 2022, to 179 million in 2023, to 284.6 million in 2024. Then in 2025, just before the election, DI-linked partners signed contracts worth more than 389 million forints. So while Hungarian hospitals were rotting, schools were begging, and ordinary people were counting every forint, the regime was shovelling public money into foreign cheerleaders. Lord David Frost reportedly received more than €43,000 in total, averaging over €3,600 per month. His tasks included appearing regularly, or at least twice a month, in British media. David L. Dusenbury was identified as receiving €4,666 per month for three years, totalling €168,000. His duties reportedly included writing books, teaching, and representing the institute at events. Timothy Burns reportedly received $12,500 for 36 days of work, plus a return transatlantic flight. Melissa Ford Maldonado was connected to an $8,400 contract for a 10-page paper on Hungarian migration policy and lessons for Texas. Philip Pilkington was linked to a €5,000-per-month contract involving British media networking and themes connected to Ireland, Northern Ireland, and alleged risks of liberal political shifts. Carlos Roa reportedly signed contracts worth $160,000 over 16 months. Rod Dreher was also part of this ecosystem, with Átlátszó previously reporting a Danube Institute contract worth $8,750 per month, or $105,000 a year. Jonathan Price reportedly received €5,000 per month for 12 months, totalling €60,000, while objecting to disclosure on privacy grounds. And then there was the article-production model: Átlátszó reported a $4,500-per-month contract requiring at least two articles per month for Western outlets such as American Conservative, National Review, Newsweek, The Federalist, The Spectator, and UnHerd. Átlátszó said the contract was most likely signed by Michael O’Shea. So let’s say it clearly. This was not “sovereignty protection”. This was Orbán’s taxpayer-funded foreign influence operation. A public-money laundromat for ideological networking. A state-financed fan club for foreign right-wing pundits, academics, Trump-world operators, Brexit nostalgics, culture-war influencers, and professional Hungary-praisers. They accused everyone else of foreign interference while literally paying foreigners to interfere on their behalf. They cried about NGOs while funding their own GONGOs. They screamed about the “dollar left” while running a forint-funded international propaganda export business. And the dirtiest part? Much of this was happening while Hungarian public services were collapsing. Hospitals without toilet paper. Schools without teachers. Families crushed by inflation. Villages abandoned. Public transport rotting. But there was always money for some Western “conservative intellectual” to write a love letter to Orbán or explain why Hungary is the glorious model of the future. NER using Hungarian taxpayers as an ATM for its international ego project.

@HansGutbrod @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube @IliaStateUni And so you understand how absurd it is that you reference this, the UK has its own foreign influence law: gov.uk/government/pub… Have you expressed your concern that the civil liberties of foreign influence operators in London have been infringed? Of course you didn’t.

@DSpinck @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube @IliaStateUni Yeah, indeed. And to bring it back to the substance of the stuff you'd like to sidetrack from. gov.uk/government/spe…

I’ll say it one more time so it is clear. I’ll try to stick with simple sentences since compound sentences seem to throw you for a loop. I’m an American. I’m a nationalist. Georgia’s domestic politics are Georgia’s business, not mine. The Georgian government has a sovereign right to govern in what it believes are its interests. My concern is US national interests. As it relates to Georgia, I care about strengthening economic ties to further US national interests through connectivity, supply chain securitization, and trade.

@HansGutbrod @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube @IliaStateUni Ah yes, the legendary German sense of humor. With this debate performance, the modern war record moves to 0–3.

@DSpinck @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube @IliaStateUni It's definitely not Claude, otherwise the responses would be a lot more engaging!

@HansGutbrod @nytimes 🥱

How authoritarian has Georgia become? The @nytimes tracker on authoritarianism provides 12 dimensions, many of which are more universally applicable, from democratic control, courts, rule of law. Take a look. We're now collecting input to assess how these map onto #Georgia.

Once again, Hans, you resort to ad hominem attacks while failing to use logic, facts, or persuasion to support your baseless assertions. You’ve now pathetically shifted to “ChatGPT” as a substitute for rebuttal. Your posts are insipid and uninspiring. I weep for the students at @IliaStateUni, not because of the alleged “totalitarian government” they supposedly live under, but because their professor is such a bore. Calling something “not serious analysis” is not the same thing as disproving it. Good day sir 👋

@DSpinck @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube @IliaStateUni Nice use of ChatGPT for the replies -- I originally said this isn't serious analysis and that point squarely stands.

“Everyone in Georgia is at risk”? “Lots of intelligentsia in jail”? This is activist sloganeering. You provide zero specifics, zero data, and zero engagement with the substance of my argument. You also seem unable to distinguish between analyzing US national interests and endorsing every aspect of a foreign government. Washington has cooperated with imperfect governments for decades when strategic interests demanded it. That is called foreign policy. And spare me the “local knowledge” line. Resorting to ad hominem attacks instead of rebutting the actual argument is usually a sign that the argument cannot be rebutted.

@DSpinck @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube @IliaStateUni Really - what are you talking about?? Everyone in Georgia is at risk from whims of GD, including former insiders. As for intelligentsia, lots in jail. What you're doing is simply wrong, it's bad analysis, little local knowledge, can't see any good faith argument there.

Now we are getting to the crux of the matter. You are not repressed, yet you dissent. Is it therefore possible that a shape of classical liberalism exists: civil liberties under the rule of law? Authoritarian governments always silence the intelligentsia first to quell political dissent. What separates your dissent from the student opposition to Georgian Dream? Perhaps it is your respect for the rule of law?

@DSpinck @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube @IliaStateUni Two different things - you can make a realist argument & if you're an actual conservative w real values, you express regret. To dismiss real repression, that obviously will not hit me primarily, but many decent Georgians incl students -- that's simply not what decent ppl do.

The repression is all around, yet Georgian Dream “jack booted thugs” allow you to scream from the ivory towers of @IliaStateUni, while collecting a paycheck funded by the government. Sure, Jan… Like I said, say, and will continue to say, I am focused on foreign policy that furthers US national interests, mostly through economic growth, regional development, and supply chain securitization.

@DSpinck @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube You clearly don't seem to know much about Georgia, nor particularly care. The repression is all around, there are arrests every week. If you claim to be doing legit analysis, why ignore that?

@HansGutbrod @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube Methinks you’ve kind of made my point. Critics of Georgian Dream claim the government controls all organs of power, suppresses free speech, and jails dissidents. Yet there you are, openly criticizing the government while working for a state-funded university…

@DSpinck @splendid_pete @InstituteDanube thanks for responding -- Ilia Uni should serves people, not government of the day. Therein lies a distinction that goes to heart of the matter, no? As I wrote to Danube colleague -- I even sympathize w conservative positions, yet think here you side squarely w wrong guys.

Thanks for promoting my commentary @HansGutbrod. First, this was published before I joined @InstituteDanube. Note the affiliation used in the byline. Second, as is often the case when someone cannot debate the substance of an argument, you’ve resorted to ad hominem attacks. I would genuinely like to hear what constitutes “bizarro projections” in your view. Third, note the name of the publication: American Conservative, not Georgian Conservative. The piece focused on U.S. national interests, not Georgian domestic politics. My argument was straightforward: it is in America’s strategic interest to maintain and strengthen ties with the Georgian Dream government, rather than make every aspect of internal Georgian political life the central basis for bilateral relations. Finally, if the situation in Georgia is as irredeemable as you suggest, it raises an obvious question: why continue working at @IliaStateUni, an institution funded by the same state apparatus you are condemning?

@splendid_pete this is really interesting -- some of these Danube Institute people then wrote on how great the Georgian Dream is, for US outlets. If you come across more connections on how Fidesz supported the attack on democracy in Georgia, it really would illuminate a lot here, in Tbilisi.

SECRETARY RUBIO on TAIWAN: We don’t want to see something disruptive happen because it would be disruptive for the world and for both countries.

The United States welcomes the announcement of the lifting of restrictions on bilateral trade between Armenia and Türkiye. This step demonstrates both countries' commitment to expanding economic connectivity, and promoting lasting peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus region. We commend Armenia and Türkiye for their continued efforts toward strengthening cooperation that benefits all peoples of the region.

Pope Leo received Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, in the Vatican this morning.

Armenian Prime Minister @NikolPashinyan details how connectivity through the Trump Road for International Peace and Prosperity (#TRIPP) has transformed #Armenia from a country with no natural resources to a country with infinite energy potential. An agenda for Armenia’s survival has now become an agenda for economic growth and transformation. @YerevanDialogue #YerevanDialogue

With ongoing choke points in the northern corridor (sanctions on Russia) and southern corridor (Iran war), the Middle Corridor, which links Asia to Europe through Kazakhstan and the South Caucasus region, remains the only reliable and stable transit corridor for east-west and west-east trade: @nationalbank_kz Governor Timur Suleimenov.

100%. There is no way Bridge Colby did or said the ridiculous things alleged in the leftist rags that reported FakeNews on this. It would be highly unlikely Bridge to act anything but professionally and seriously on these official matters. The accounts suggesting otherwise are quite obviously made up, some of them laughably so.

“The US doesn’t need to dominate the Eurasian Heartland or force Central Asia to choose it over Beijing. It simply needs to ensure that any Chinese westward access runs through a vast landmass of countries that maintain constructive relations with the US” timesca.com/opinion-trump-…