Orbán’s Defeat and the Future of the Global Far Right
Monday, September 28, 2026
5:00PM-6:45PM
Rifkind Center (NAC 6/316)

What is the future of the Global Far Right in the light of the defeat of Viktor Orbán in Hungary’s elections last spring?

Orbán’s brand of “illiberal democracy” served as widely-replicated inspiration for rightwing radicalisms around the world—how much life does his model still have left in it, in Europe, the Americas, and elsewhere? How was Orbán defeated? Does this event mark a turning point in the rise of the modern Far Right, or are its implications more local?

Join us for a panel discussion about these questions.

Sheri Berman is Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. She has written widely on European politics, the left, fascism, populism, and the fate of democracy, in academic journals and in such venues as the NYT, the WSJ, WaPo, Foreign Affairs, VOX, Guardian, and Dissent.  Her upcoming book is titled The Political Consequences of Economic Ideas: Neoliberalism, the Left, and the Fate of Democracy (Oxford 2027).

Gabriela Greilinger is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Georgia, School of Public and International Affairs. Her research focuses on the European far right, democratic erosion, and the role of gender in far-right politics. She writes for the Hungarian Observer and also published on the far right and Hungarian politics in The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, and Social Europe.

Ivan L. Nagy is a Hungarian political journalist and media expert, currently working for the Columbia Journalism Review. He covered the Hungarian election for the Associated Press and the BBC and analyzed the campaign for Foreign Policy and The New World.  He was the founder of the podcast department of HVG, one of Hungary's leading independent outlets, and co-hosts the podcast of The Hungarian Muse, Hungary's #1 Substack.

Julia Sonnevend is Associate Professor of Sociology and Communications and Co-Director of the Center for the American Experience, The New School. A scholar of media, democracy, and culture, she studies how narratives, symbols, and public events shape politics and collective life. Her recent Charm: How Magnetic Personalities Shape Global Politics, was a The New Yorker Best Book of 2024.