I’ve been writing so much about Spain lately that I almost feel like asking for forgiveness from PJ Media readers at the top of yet another Spain article.
I admit that my own biases draw me to stories about this country I’ve visited dozens of times. Some of the happiest days of my life were spent in Spain — starting with the year I spent studying abroad in Seville, where I met my wife. Her childhood home lies about an hour and a half’s drive from the childhood home of the great Jewish philosopher Maimonides, whose statue in Córdoba stands as a reminder of the tragic yet inspiring history of my people in Spain. So there are plenty of personal reasons why I'm invested in seeing a strong Spain today.
However, recognizing that most readers don't share the same interest I have in the political dynamics in Spain, I try to select stories to write about that might have a broader appeal.
The Spanish government's decision not to allow the U.S. to use its military bases for operations against Iran falls into that category, as does Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's condemnation of not only Operation Epic Fury, but also Operation Absolute Resolve, which resulted in the capture of the dictator Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
Related: Spain Gets Owned: Trump Moves to Cut All U.S. Trade
The ingratitude of the leader of a country that rejects NATO's proposed 5% GDP defense spending target — while criticizing U.S. actions that keep the world safe — is, I think, of interest to most American citizens.
But I think there's another reason why the deteriorating situation in Spain is important for the world to be aware of. Fortunately, a rising political leader in Spain said it better than I could in a speech this weekend at the CPAC Hungary 2026. Santiago Abascal, the president of the conservative-populist Vox party, which continues to show in regional elections that it is a force to be reckoned with, even apologized (as I did at the start of this article) when bringing up his country before making the case for why the lessons in Spain need to be heeded by the West.
Abascal began his speech by calling Hungary a “shining light in the darkness” of Europe. He mentioned three essential things that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government provides for its citizens: security, prosperity, and the protection of children's innocence. Abascal then stated an obvious fact that, unfortunately, has become verboten to say in so many Western countries suffering under the woke virus. Calling Hungary a true reflection of the Western civilization that unites us, he said that civilization has "its deep roots in Rome, in Athens, and in Jerusalem."
Why do Orbán's enemies, who “are impoverishing our homes, who are raising energy bills, and whose policies are leaving our borders unprotected,” want to put an end to the Hungarian model? According to Abascal, it's because these “shadowy elites hiding in offices in Brussels” don’t want European citizens to make their own decisions and take control of their futures.
Abascal warned that the upcoming Hungarian elections are a crossroads not just for the Hungarian people but for all of Europe. If Orbán doesn’t win, Hungary could descend into the darkness that Europe’s elites have brought to so many countries, including Abascal’s own.
After asking pardon for mentioning Pedro Sánchez — who is not only the leader of Spain but also president of the Socialist International — he labeled the prime minister an "existential threat" to both Spain and Europe. According to Abascal, Sánchez's government "operates like a kind of mafia," using lies, family corruption (remind anyone of Joe Bien?), fraud, and pacts with separatists and even terrorists.
Regarding Sánchez's condemnation of the U.S.–Israel operation against Iran, Abascal said the prime minister does not care at all about peace and international law but only wants to maintain power and defend the allies who protect him.
Why does Pedro Sánchez side with the terrorist ayatollahs? Why does he side with the communist torturers of the Bolivarian regime in Venezuela? Why does he side with Lula’s Brazil that imprisons the opposition and tortures Bolsonaro? Why does he side with communist Cuba and why did he previously side with Hamas after perpetrating [its] diabolical attack?
Abascal says it’s for the same reason the left all across Europe acts this way: these regimes have spent years financing both Islamism and communism, which now fall under a single label — “the Islamocommunism that is transforming our streets and destroying our identity.” (Does “Islamocommunism” remind you of a recently elected mayor of a major U.S. city?)
The Spanish left wing is also connected to George Soros, and Alex Soros has even called Sánchez “the leader of the free world.” That alone should make anyone who cares about the survival of Western civilization take an active interest in removing Sánchez from power.
In contrast to the security and prosperity that Orbán has brought to Hungary, Abascal says Sánchez's immigration policy, which includes legalizing more than half a million illegal immigrants, is undermining hospital care, the housing market, and public safety — especially for Spanish women.
If the Vox party comes to power in Spain, Abascal promises to carry out mass deportations and tighten the criteria for nationality, which he refreshingly called "one of our greatest treasures."
Allow me to talk about Spain. Being Spanish means forming part of a historic legacy, being the custodian of a magnificent heritage. ... It was the Spanish who discovered the Americas in 1492, and it was Spanish explorers, together with our compatriots — the Portuguese—who achieved the first circumnavigation of the globe in 1522. ... Our grandparents built one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. And that is the real Spain. Not the one we are suffering now. The real Spain is one that represents one of the greatest civilizing and evangelizing works that have occurred in universal history. And that is why I dare say that is one of the greatest contributions that has been made both to the West and to human rights.
Abascal finished his amazing speech by saying that it's a shame that today the world only talks about Spain because of its "apprentice tyrant" leader. However, he has hope that in the near future his country will be talked about because of its new renaissance.
This is not the first time that the Spanish have faced existential threats. We reconquered our land after seven centuries of Islamic occupation. We have done it before and we can do it again. We will rebuild everything that has been destroyed and we will do it together with all of you. We will rebuild Europe, we will rebuild the West, and we will rebuild the free world.
This is exactly what everyone in the West should be hoping for.
