This book is about the nature of informal governmental power in Hungary and Poland. It highlights the key differences and similarities between the Orbán regime and the Kaczy?ski regime to show how they make societies dependent on the ruling elite. The monograph explains how the coercive practices of these governments could avoid scrutiny of the European Union (EU) and unpacks the underlying reasons for the ineffectiveness of the EU in the context of the changing geopolitical environment and the war in Ukraine.