Blind–Spot Politics

A leading Central European journalist investigates how political and intellectual elites in Europe’s democracies underestimate and enable the continent’s authoritarians―from the Cold War onwards.

‘Putin has obviously deceived everyone.’ These were the words of Manuela Schwesig, First Minister of the German state Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She was trying to explain why her federal government had been so closely implicated in Russia’s controversial completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Why have other German, Austrian and European politicians and commentators so often got it so very wrong in their assessments of Moscow policy? Why has the EU been so slow to recognise the danger posed to its liberal values by nationalist autocrats such as Viktor Orbán of Hungary? And why have lessons from past blunders in Western policy―particularly in the Balkans―and the example of German Ostpolitik gone ignored, until it was too late?

Paul Lendvai, a veteran reporter on the continent’s centre and east, exposes the role of double standards embraced, blind eyes turned and human and political weakness overlooked in policies of appeasement towards Europe’s authoritarian regimes, past and present. Combining analysis of new developments with decades of personal experience as a correspondent, he provides fascinating political profiles in deceit, sketching both the victims and the perpetrators of political fraud in Central and Eastern Europe.

Review

‘Lendvai draws on his vast experience and clear, crisp prose to skewer the naïve, duplicitous and hypocritical politicians of our age. He is a shining beacon for anybody who cares about democracy and truth.’

‘A major reckoning with Western Europe’s policies towards Vladimir Putin … [There is] recognisable emotion behind [Lendvai’s] analysis―densely packed with facts, figures and quotes … Why did it take so long for the West to understand the true nature of Putinism? Lendvai reaches far into the past in search of answers … he shows … the world as it is.’

‘Lendvai has a rare journalistic gift: not only can he analyse a situation, but he can tell a story. After decades of brilliant foreign policy journalism, he vividly describes his many experiences … showing their significance in context … Why were so many Western politicians and intellectuals, from left and right, so mistaken about the nature of the Russian regime, and especially Putin? Lendvai provides a profound explanation … The chapter on … the Yugoslav state collapse is … well worth reading―and a treat for those who worshipped Sebastian Kurz.’

‘Lendvai doesn’t just castigate political parties; he also takes aim at … leading businesses … [in] his panorama of hypocrisy … Lendvai has no remedy. Nevertheless, he is … a [seasoned] traveller of the turbulent twentieth century, [who] knows that people want to be deceived. This was already the case in 1580, when Montaigne wrote: “What we call truth today is not what is true, but what one can persuade others to believe.”’

About the Author

Paul Lendvai, a Hungarian-born Austrian journalist and author, was the Vienna correspondent for the Financial Times for over twenty years. His most recent books, all published by Hurst, are Blind-Spot Politics; Austria Behind the Mask; The Hungarians (second edition); and Orbán: Europe’s New Strongman, which won the Prix du Livre Européen.