In Hungary, as in much of Eastern Europe

[Whit Garner]

I wouldn't say "overthinking," but oversimplifying might be the issue. If you are trying to determine whether you're comparing actions or nouns, I don't think so much about "counting" as I do about whether both pieces of the comparison have a verb of their own. For example.

Like bees, wasps have stingers.
The two sides of the comparison are "bees" and "wasps have stingers." Compare this to the following:

Wasps have stingers, as bees do.
The two sides of the comparison are "wasps have stingers" and "bees do."

When both parts or sides of the comparison have a verb (have and do in the second example), you use "as" - if one side of the comparison is just a noun or noun phrase (as in the first example), you use "like."

The Hungary question is a bit different - we're comparing nouns, but we're not using "as," we're using "as in." So here is where the oversimplification comes in - "as" isn't just an agent of comparison, it's a conjunction. Here are a bunch of examples where it isn't being strictly used for comparison's sake:

As she practiced her lap times improved.
The well trained dog did as its owner commanded.
She won the election, just as I said she would.
He might need some help as he's new.
As I mentioned, the student will be turning in the assignment early.
Try as he might, he couldn't get the lever unstuck.
I won't be able to help; I've got too much work to finish as it is.
As for the cake, it is ruined. (as for)
As of this morning, we still didn't have the painting done. (as of)

In the Hungary question, the "as" is used to connect the two prepositions "in Hungary" and "In much of Eastern Europe." Hope this helps!