Power Matters Less Than Competitiveness

Ambassador of Hungary in Washington, András Simonyi, Persuades Americans in the Language of Rock and Roll

Translation of the interview that appeared in the Hungarian newspaper “Népszava” on February 7, 2007

 

U.S.-Hungarian relations had an outstanding year in 2006; President George W. Bush visited Budapest. In Washington and throughout the United States, the 50^th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution was commemorated; even the visa waiver issue moved from its earlier deadlock. The Hungarian Embassy in Washington DC put a lot of work into all of this. Ambassador András Simonyi is proud of these successes, however, he warns that the positive view of Hungary needs to be preserved and maintained.

After the successes of 2006, what goals has Hungarian diplomacy set for this year in U.S.-Hungarian relations?

In one hundred years of U.S.-Hungarian relations, including the period of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, last year was perhaps the most successful year in hundred years. It is important what can be seen of this in Hungary but it might be more important what can be seen of Hungary in the U.S. Quite frankly, sometimes we’re our own worst enemies. For example, the unrest and violence at Szabadság Square in the autumn shook the foundation of a relationship that had been building successfully in the past few years. The pillars of U.S.-Hungarian relations are stable; however, these can be destroyed with “persistent work.”

What can an Ambassador do in order to offset the negative effects of the pictures shown on TV?

He can do a lot if he is able to present results from home which show a dynamic and responsible country, through which he can promote his homeland. The role of an Ambassador is like a tailor: if he gets good material, he can make a really nice suit. There is a certain provincialism in Hungary, and the responsibility of the political elite is huge for such provincialism. Nevertheless, I am optimistic about the future of Hungary. It has been my experience that more and more people, all generations but young people especially, recognize that if we do not grab all opportunities, the world will pass us by. There are more and more people getting fed up with this provincialism and wanting to see consensus in politics. These are the people who recognize the value of our relations with America. I’m convinced that power matters less than maintaining our competitiveness. Hungary needs to find breakout areas. Such an area is our ability to be creative.

How much do Americans know about Hungary? From home, it often seems like they do not know too much.

Last week I was traveling on the train with the visiting Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, Katalin Szili. An African American inspector came up to us and asked what language we were speaking. We told him we spoke in Hungarian. He looked at us and said: “Oh, Hungary! The new NATO.” If a train inspector knows this, then we’re not doing too badly. We are trying to draw a picture of an optimistic, forward-looking country here, although we cannot bridge the gap between how we present Hungary in the U.S. and what Americans actually see of Hungary. Hungarians are on the map, are being respected in Washington. Ruining this exceptional position would be more than a crime. We have to see that there is the fiercest competition to get the attention of the influential members of the U.S. government. Right now, Hungary has a great reputation among them, from President Bush to cabinet members to Senators. I just talked to Senator McCain the other day and he had a very positive opinion about us. Speaker Szili was received by the new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, last week, which was a fantastic thing during this period. But a good reputation can also wear out if we do not work to preserve it.

For Hungarians, it would be a tangible success if Hungary was included in the visa waiver program. How much longer do we have to wait?

I spend many hours everyday with the visa waiver issue. We made it clear to our American partners what we need and it did not just happen by itself that the U.S. administration began reviewing the visa waiver program. However, we have to acknowledge that this is a complicated matter. The United States has not recovered from the shock following September 11. It is important that we have consensus on this [i.e. the visa waiver] issue in Hungary, that everyone support this aspiration. We need to make Americans understand that we do not pose any threat to their security. In reality, there is strong fear among Americans.

Does this mean that while the war on terror lasts we don’t have a chance for a break-through?

The U.S. does not see Hungary as a threat but they want guarantees that we cannot become a hazard to them, either. This issue is heading in a good direction. I go to Capitol Hill very often, I talk with Congressmen and Senators often, sometimes with the Ambassadors of Visegrád and Baltic countries, sometimes by myself. Let’s remember that only a few of us believed a couple years ago that Hungary could be in the first round of joining NATO. And it was. We need to work hard on the visa issue but I see it a reality that we will be included in the program within two years.

The Embassy of Hungary in Washington, I can see from reading your website, is building relations very actively, very widely.

The connection between Hungary and the U.S. today is as if we were tied by a copper wire. It is our duty to upgrade this into a broadband connection. Hungary’s development depends largely upon what kind of energies we can draw from the United States. Too few people know that American companies played a large role in saving the Hungarian economy. We also decided in the past few years that our relations with the U.S. should not be only about security cooperation, our well-appreciated military contributions. We have started different initiatives, although many of these faded because of indifference in Hungary. Many of the things we are doing here are unusual, unorthodox. We have transformed the structure of the Embassy into a kind of corporate structure where everyone works with great responsibility and independence, and creativity is the No. 1. criterion. We even have a staff member whose title is “Chief Creative Officer.” We organized classical music performances and rock concerts. I was on the Colbert Report a few months ago. This year, the National Gallery of Art in Washington is hosting a Central European photo exhibition and the majority of the show’s artists are Hungarian (Moholy-Nagy, Munkácsi and others).

The leading diplomat of every country needs to develop a special character in the diplomatic world. Is this why you are known in Washington as the Rock and Roll Ambassador?

Rock and roll has a very strong message – that we are not different from Americans. In the world today, the rock and roll generation has the power. We have found a common language that Americans know very well. My band, the Coalition of the Willing, is going to perform again in April. Our concerts attract famous politicians, Senators. However, we first had to be successful in diplomacy. The members of the band are all leading representatives of their own area. At every concert, I also sing in Hungarian. Last time, when Donovan was our guest of honor at the Embassy, The Washington Post even published the Hungarian lyrics of one of the songs.

Have relations between the Embassy and the different groups of Hungarian Americans improved?

The commemoration of the 1956 Revolution brought cohesion to the Hungarian American community. In Washington and all over the U.S., Hungarians celebrated together. More and more people want to help unity and feel the need to contribute to Hungary’s path to development and competitiveness. We are proud of the successful Hungarians in America, for example George Olah, John Lukács, John Starker and Charles Simonyi.

 

Éva Elekes