European Union and Networks
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45498514
This article focuses on recent developments with Hungary’s alleged violations of European Union core values, particularly on human rights. The European Union Parliament (EUP), legislative body of the European Union, will seek punitive measures against Hungary if approved by national leaders. The suspension of Hungary’s voting rights—the ultimate sanction that the EUP can impose—is unlikely due to the likelihood of a veto by Poland. However, Poland has also been under disciplinary hearings initiated by the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union. Opinions are split between those lauding the EUP for standing up to human rights and those who extol Viktor Orban (Hungarian Prime Minister) as a hero and decry the EU as authoritarian.
Here we can see a social network of positive and negative relationships such as those examined in class. The main triad we can see is that between the EU, Poland, and Hungary. The EU has been organizing disciplinary measures against both Poland and Hungary, indicating a negative relationship with both. Poland is likely to veto the suspension of Hungary’s voting rights, indicating a positive relationship between the two. Thus, this social triad satisfies the structural balance property as studied in class. There are many other groups clustered around this network: Amnesty International with positive ties to the EU and negative ties to Hungary, Dutch populist Geert Wilders, as mentioned in the article, who shares positive sentiment towards Hungary and negative sentiment towards the EU, and many more groups beyond these. It is certainly interesting to see the concepts learned in class represented in social interactions at an international level.