The United States has progressively shifted from a liberal democracy toward a hybrid regime or soft autocracy over the past decade, following a playbook visible in Viktor Orbán's Hungary: court-packing, gerrymandering, voting law changes, media control, oligarchic corruption, and scapegoating of minorities.
factualpending
Speaker
Ben RhodesEvidence Quote
“Orban got elected on a right-wing populist backlash to the financial crisis he packed the courts with fared judges who had find in favor of his power grabs he Drew parliamentary districts to kind of entrench his party and power beyond their vote sh changed the voting laws to make it easier for his supporters to vote and harder for his political opponents to vote he enriched a bunch of cronies through corruption [24:07]”
Source
Ben Rhodes: The Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy— Weatherhead Center for International AffairsCreated: 8/11/2026, 7:39:48 AM
My Notes
Loading notes...