We’ve seen a lot of notice in these parts about the bad associations Viktor Orbán makes. Jim Geraghty recently asked why Hungary felt the need to make a trade deal with Iran just months after October 7. Jay Nordlinger castigates Orbán for having “warm relations” with Putin, Iran, and China, too.

Sometimes, I find these complaints a little odd. Hungary’s relationship with China is absolutely minuscule compared to the United States’. I don’t think Hungary’s increased ties with China are defensible, but neither are ours. We are far more dependent on China than Hungary is. For all the talk of de-coupling, U.S.–China trade relations have reached a new high in 2022.

When they aren’t odd, they are misleading. Jay claims that Hungary has strengthened its energy ties to Russia. Actually, it’s been signing LNG deals with Croatia and other U.S. allies, including Qatar and Poland, because its dependence on Russian oil is economically devastating. Europeans have had a hard time weaning themselves from the existing infrastructure. Even Poland, which has radically decreased its dependence on Russian oil, still has an energy company in the Czech Republic that increased its Russian energy supplies this year. Poland’s government explained that it wanted to keep the lights on and cars running in the Czech Republic.

We’re often told that all the democracies and authoritarianisms are lining up on opposite sides of a global conflict — that Russia and Iran are in league with Hamas and all the other authoritarianisms.

One thing that hasn’t received any notice here is that Hungary was the sole vote against two European Union statements condemning Israel. According to the Jerusalem Post, this was notable: “The sources added that the EU has been more emboldened to take steps against Israel in light of public US criticism toward Jerusalem.” If the world were really divided into good democracies and bad authoritarians, Hungary should be the only European country siding with Hamas (and its authoritarian sponsors), rather than what it is: the only one siding with Israel. So what do its American critics make of its consensus-breaking here?

Well, and for that matter, if things were so clear, the U.S. wouldn’t treat Qatar, which harbors Hamas, as a major non-NATO ally. And we wouldn’t conduct security pacts with one of the most oppressive states in the Middle East, Bahrain.

So what’s the standard at work? Perhaps people are pursuing their national interests as they see them.