REASONS FOR IRIDENTIST RHETORIC ACTIVATION IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE COUNTRIES AT THE XXI CENTURY BEGINNING

Abstract

This article is devoted to the analysis of the irredentist rhetoric content and its strengthening reasons in the Central and Eastern Europe countries at the XXI century beginning, the problem being of practical interest for Ukraine, because the irredentist orientation calls do directly affect the nature of relations between Ukraine and its neighbors, in particular, Hungary and Romania. It is shown that the Hungarian and Romanian utraright parties’ political programs contain irredentist slogans regarding the restoration of their states within “historical borders”. The irredentist statements made by radical Romanian and Hungarian politicians concerning the Ukrainian territories intensified against the background of the Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine escalation in 2022. Clearly argued is that these countries’ membership in the European Union and NATO restrains them as member states from expansionism, and at the official level no territorial claims from Hungary and Romania to Ukraine being formulated still the radical politicians’ calls for the territorial disintegration of Ukraine threaten the security of these countries themselves and contribute to the aggravation of relations with Ukrainian state, as they do question its territorial integrity. Determined are the reasons for the right-wing radical parties’ irredentist rhetoric strengthening, including: the popularity in the public discourse of the “Great Power” idea which plays the role of a compensatory mechanism under conditions of the identity crisis, which arises as a reaction to European integration processes and to the threat of sovereignty loss; the populist nature of right-wing radical parties, which introduce the ultras’ populist ideas to emphasize the unity of society as well as the traditional values revival and thus try to gain the support of the electorate; the world community weak reaction to the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation, which led to the partial occupation of the territory of Georgia (2008) and Ukraine (2014), as well as the intensification of Russian aggression against Ukraine which turned into invading war in 2022.