Editorial: Remember the Wisdom of Churchill
Presidential Message: Members Recruiting Members
Remembering February
March Events
Vice President's Corner: Hungary’s Incoming Test
Any Other Business? Jeannette Meinl and the Art for Charity team are delighted to invite you
The Last Page

Dear Members and Friends of the ABS,

Sometimes time seems to fly! We have only just managed to overcome the hangover from the New Year’s Eve party – and already March is here!

And with March, not only does fabulous spring arrive, but also two further splendid ABS events (see below).

Exactly 80 years ago (5 March 1946), Winston Churchill – voted the Greatest Briton in a 2002 BBC poll – delivered his “Iron Curtain” speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, where he used the term “Iron Curtain” for the first time.

“To quote: ‘From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.’”

Why should we care about a speech delivered 80 years ago?

Well, if we look a couple of hundred miles to the east, 1946 may feel closer than we would like…

Let us hope for the best and enjoy life in general, and our upcoming ABS events in particular.

See you all soon

Wolfgang M. Buchta,
ABS Secretary General

PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

Members Recruiting Members

As announced some time ago, we have now completed this project at the end of February, aimed at developing various initiatives to attract additional new members. We have been working intensively on it for the past three months. The topic was addressed at our monthly board meetings; we established a dedicated working group of ten participants (mainly members and a few board members) who met several times, and we even formed smaller sub-groups to examine specific topics in greater detail.

The working groups ultimately developed eleven projects, eight of which will be implemented in the coming weeks and months. Each project has a clear concept outlining what will be done, by whom, how, and by when. The first initiatives will already begin in March. Do stay tuned to see the new and creative approaches we have developed. At the end of March, I will present one or two of these projects in more detail in the ABS News.

I very much look forward to your reactions.

Yours sincerely,

Kurt Tiroch

REMEMBERING FEBRUARY

I see a pattern forming – another month, and another two events:

Event No. 1: An Apartment Full of Memory

Another splendid evening at the Theater Drachengasse with My Old Lady by Israel Horovitz, directed by our board member Joanna Godwin-Seidl. Well done, Joanna, and thank you for a great Friday the 13th!

Click here for the event report and photos

Event No. 2: Mit Zuversicht: Was wir von gestern für morgen lernen können

Former Austrian Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel presented his new book and offered us some hope for the future.

Click here for the event report and photos:

ABS Action in March

March brings us not only the Ides of March – 15 March – but also two ABS events:

6 March – 6:30 p.m.

“Seitenblicke exquisit – von Wien bis Hollywood: Die Society im Wandel?”
by our member Christian Reichhold

Café Ministerium

Invitation already sent

12 March – Wine Tasting

With our member Peter Weigl, who is not only a medical doctor but also a winegrower of some reputation – enjoy!

Invitation and location to follow

VICE PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Hungary’s Incoming Test

ungary is approaching a historic decision point. The 2026 parliamentary election will determine whether Viktor Orbán’s 15-year rule continues or finally comes to an end. Ultimately, this is a choice Hungarian voters alone must make. But the environment in which they will make it is becoming increasingly distorted.

There is an intensifying barrage of state-sponsored disinformation. Hungary’s pro-government media ecosystem is already flooding the public sphere with AI-generated videos smearing opposition figures. The ruling party hopes that favourable geopolitical winds will assist its domestic political aims.

If Orbán manages to secure another victory against the prevailing public mood, and with visible assistance from foreign autocrats – see the recent visit of the US Foreign Secretary Rubio to Budapest – this will be a humiliating moment for the European Union. It will signal that the EU lacks the tools – or the will – to protect democratic norms within its own borders.

History is impatient with fatigue. Hungary is often blamed for obstructing EU decisions on Ukraine. But Hungary is more symptom than cause. The real problem is Europe’s shrinking willingness to shoulder the burden of defending Ukraine – and, by extension, itself. If Ukraine falls, Europe’s political relevance will shrink dramatically. Europe may be tired, but history is cruelly impatient with fatigue. It rewards only clarity, persistence, courage, and the willingness to act before it is too late.

by former Ambassador Alexander Christiani

ABS Vice President

Not strictly an ABS event,

but our board member Joanna Godwin-Seidl (yes, the lady from Drachengasse!) is involved:

Jeannette Meinl and the Art for Charity team are delighted to invite you to the Vienna production of Boeing Boeing on 11 March 2026 at Studio Molière, 7:30 p.m.

A classic farce by Marc Camoletti, set in Paris, Boeing Boeing is a high-speed comedy of perfectly timed chaos — a bachelor, three fiancées, and a flight schedule about to collide. With razor-sharp wit and door-slamming precision, this sparkling production promises a fast-paced evening of theatre.

Champagne turbulence guaranteed.

Post-Performance Receptions

Each of the three performance evenings will conclude with a special reception:

11 March – Hosted by Matthias Hofstätter (LeitnerLeitner)
Schwarzenbergplatz 14, 1040 Vienna

12 March – Hosted by Martin Böhm (Dorotheum)
Dorotheergasse 17, 1010 Vienna

13 March – Reception at Hilton Vienna Plaza
Schottenring 11, 1010 Vienna

Charitable Purpose

The net proceeds of this year’s production will support the Malteser Sommercamp 2027 in Vienna, helping to create a week of friendship, inclusion, and international community for young adults with and without disabilities. Further information is provided below.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of our sponsors.

RSVP & bookings: office.art.for.charity@gmail.com

For further information and cast biographies:
www.art-for-charity.at