Serving silently

The status and reform of the Hungarian national security sector between 2010 and 2014. Part I.

Abstract

This is the first piece of a two-part study focusing on the status and reform of the Hungarian national security sector during the time of the second cabinet of Viktor Orbán. This topic remains nearly untouched by experts, that was the reason behind my primary goal, which was to enrich the academic literature of the national security services. The paper aims to present the historical roots and legal environment of the secret services. Moreover, I analyze the political parties’ promises and expectations through the official campaign documents, regarding these services. Finally, I shortly introduce the secret services’ new higher education system. After drawing the theoretical, legal and political environment, I will focus on the reforms in my next paper, which will be published in the upcoming issue.