Under Siege: Counterterrorism and Civil Society in Hungary

Under Siege: Counter-Terrorism and Civil Society in Hungary critically examines the effects of Hungary’s counterterrorism and security policies on civil society organizations since the Fidesz party’s sweeping victory in 2010. It explores the historical and political depths of the government’s security apparatus, including the formation and implementation of its counter-terrorism laws, polices, and institutions, as well as the terrorism landscape. The author draws upon survey research conducted across four categories of civil society organizations, including peacebuilding, development, human rights advocacy, and humanitarianism, and extensive data collected through semi-structured interviews with members of the civil society community, security actors, legal experts, politicians, and scholars. This book argues that the Hungarian government’s counterterrorism and security regime has significantly altered the autonomous space in which civil society organizations operate and severely strained state-society relations.