Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum

Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum

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The Strangest Week

From Hormuz to Budapest to DC, nothing makes sense

Apr 09, 2026
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Cross-posted by Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum
"I watched Anne's conversation with Tim Miller last night. She said that Budapest is now covered in posters that say, "Don't let Zelensky have the last laugh." She didn't mention it, but in earlier election campaigns, Budapest was covered in posters that said, "Don't let George Soros have the last laugh." (You'll note what those two figures have in common.) I'm baffled by Vance's eagerness to associate himself with Orbán's sinking ship. How does this benefit him? Is there really that much demand for this from the MAGA base? Do follow the links to the articles that detail Szijjártó's calls to Lavrov. That's not "polite diplomacy," that's "a controlled and witting Russian asset," and if the EU does nothing about it, it deserves its fate. "
- Claire Berlinski

On Wednesday morning, a colleague asked if I thought that the American-Iranian ceasefire, which had been declared overnight, would hold. I shrugged. How can I know? How can anyone know? All of the decisions about this war are being taken, on the one hand, by an American president who has no strategy beyond his own gratification, as well as, on the other…


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