Controlling the Narrative: Hungary's Post-2010 Strategies of Non-Compliance before the European Court of Human Rights

Abstract

Focus of the literature on the European West, overlooking the marginalised European Central-East-Assumption of all illiberal states equally resisting international courts-Hungary's unique subtle push-back against the European Court of Human Rights compared to overt resistance against the European Court of Justice-Empirical analysis of original data-Three strategies to control the narrative of compliance-Status signalling to avoid international and domestic political repercussions-Friendly settlements and unilateral declarations as means of avoidance-Disguised non-compliance to convey bona fides-Negative narrative to subvert public opinion-Explaining state behaviour through rationalism and constructivism-Complementing constructivism with the identitarian counterwave in recently-emerged illiberal states-EU membership as a constraint-Illiberalism as fuel for Hungary's resistance against the Strasbourg Court