László Szerencsés

1/🚨 Publication alert 🚨- My report on Turkey-Hungary relations is out! What started as an economic diversification strategy turned into a symbolic alliance after Turkey's failed 2016 coup attempt, and Hungary's isolation inside the EU in the same period. ipc.sabanciuniv.edu/Content/Imag...

Why have Turkey and Hungary become close political partners despite limited trade and little public demand for closer ties? My article argues that the answer lies in a common pushback against EU criticism and both regimes' regional ambitions beyond the EU. 1/4 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The latest publication by SUITS Postdoctoral Scholar @szerlasz.bsky.social examines the close partnership between Orbán's Hungary and Erdoğan's Turkey, a partnership based on shared interests and experiences of rejection by the EU. A great read!

"Takeaways from the Hungary elections with László Szerencsés (@szerlasz.bsky.social)" hosted by @diegocupolo.bsky.social. [5/5]

After Magyar's victory in Hungary, László Szerencsés (@szerlasz.bsky.social ) outlines the main takeaways for Turkey's opposition and implications for Budapest-Ankara ties. Deep dive on Hungarian politics with lessons for flawed democracies included. Full episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhH-...

I spoke at @turkeyrecap.bsky.social to discuss Hungary’s political shift, from Orbán’s fall to Péter Magyar’s rise, and what it could mean beyond Hungary. We also looked at lessons for Turkey’s opposition and the foreign policy outlook, including implications for Turkey. 🎧 youtu.be/HhH-Bvn8Cz8?...

Terrific interview with my SUITS colleague @szerlasz.bsky.social about the stunning victory of Peter Magyar over Viktor Orbán in the Hungarian elections and what it might mean for democracy in Hungary and for relations with Turkey.

Super interesting discussion of Hungary elections from @szerlasz.bsky.social, speaking to @turkeyrecap.bsky.social's @diegocupolo.bsky.social www.turkeyrecap.com/p/takeaways-...

I spoke at @turkeyrecap.bsky.social to discuss Hungary’s political shift, from Orbán’s fall to Péter Magyar’s rise, and what it could mean beyond Hungary. We also looked at lessons for Turkey’s opposition and the foreign policy outlook, including implications for Turkey. 🎧 youtu.be/HhH-Bvn8Cz8?...

The growing rivalry between Turkey and Israel will be key to understanding the Middle East in the coming years. So if you haven't read it yet, you really should check out the latest SUITS Policy Brief, in which @heissenstat.bsky.social examines this relationship. www.su.se/english/divi...

🔎NEW INVESTIGATION: The hotline between FM Péter Szijjártó and Sergey Lavrov gives Russia strategic insight into key EU matters. Evidence, including a leaked phone call recording shows Hungary’s FM acted for the Kremlin, pushing to delist sanctioned Russians, with Slovak support.

A new survey by Medián, Hungary's most reliable pollster gives a 23-pt edge to the opposition Tisza over Fidesz. Party leader Péter Magyar has recently started talking about what Tisza would do with a 2/3 supermajority which is within their reach if these numbers are accurate 444.hu/2026/03/25/a...

My first piece for Stockholm University's Institute for Turkish Studies: The Next Big Middle East Conflict? The Turkish-Israeli Rivalry www.su.se/english/divi...

Tomorrow SUITS will be hosting a book talk for @reubensilverman.bsky.social's new volume on Adnan Menderes. I am delighted to have the opportunity to talk about, and celebrate, this important new volume with him. stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/6960471239...

I contributed a short prediction to @turkeyrecap.bsky.social's 2026 outlook on 🇹🇷–🇭🇺 relations. Core take: Hungary’s 2025 election may change rhetoric, not fundamentals. Energy, migration, and Turkey’s hub role will still dominate the relationship. www.turkeyrecap.com/p/2026-predi...

From @“gmfus.bsky.social : Hungary’s 2026 Elections: The Stakes and Challenges. Information, insights, analysis. Worth watching every second, but key food-for-thought for me: youtu.be/swZ36J4g4KA?...

"Unpacking Turkey-Hungary relations with László Szerencsés (@szerlasz.bsky.social)" hosted by @diegocupolo.bsky.social. [5/5]

This promises to be really interesting.... I had mostly written this relationship off as "populist authoritarians of a feather, flock together" but ‪László's argument is more nuanced than that and suggests something more deeply buried in the histories of Turkish and Hungarian nationalisms.

🎙️I enjoyed speaking with @diegocupolo.bsky.social on @turkeyrecap.bsky.social about Turkey-Hungary relations and their broader implications for the liberal international order, including energy, EU politics, and the Organisation of Turkic States. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiSM...

Delighted to have former SUITS postdoctoral researcher @reubensilverman.bsky.social’s book with @universitypress.cambridge.org in my hand! Reuben spent much of his time at the @stockholm-uni.bsky.social Institute for Turkish Studies working on the book.+

🎙️I enjoyed speaking with @diegocupolo.bsky.social on @turkeyrecap.bsky.social about Turkey-Hungary relations and their broader implications for the liberal international order, including energy, EU politics, and the Organisation of Turkic States. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiSM...

🎙️ Live webcast announcement! Researcher László Szerencsés ( @szerlasz.bsky.social) joins us to unpack Turkey-Hungary ties, energy connectivity and Monday's Erdoğan-Orbán meeting. Livestream: Wednesday Dec. 10 @ 0900 UTC / 1200 TRT

I’ll be joining Turkey recap tomorrow at 10:00 (CET) to discuss Turkey-Hungary relations. We’ll look at how the relationship has evolved, from energy and defence cooperation to civilizational ties and their implications for the EU. 🔗 Join here live: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

💥Hungary’s energy purchases could’ve funded about one-tenth of Putin’s war in Ukraine, if all revenues were used for war, Hungarian daily Népszava reports. 💰Between Feb 2022–Sep 2025, Hungary bought €15B gas and €8B oil from Russia — €23B total. Russia’s war costs are estimated at €100–300B.

How do international crises help authoritarians? I wrote for the Project Syndicate 👇

Honored to see my Balkan Insight op-ed 📝 cited by @jameskerlindsay.bsky.social as a ‘straightforward explanation’ (9:31) of Turkey–Serbia dynamics in his latest video 🎥. It’s encouraging to see this topic gaining wider attention beyond policy circles. youtu.be/0-t7V0EtB5k?...

Today the PKK, as a follow-up to its symbolic withdrawal ceremony in July, has announced its complete withdrawal from Turkey. My recent piece at the EPC summarizes the first year of this renewed Kurdish peace process.

I did a post. "Emerging Middle Powers and World Disorder: A Reminder that Life is Nasty, Brutish, and Short in a Hobbesian World" open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...

Our article wt @laniganamanda.bsky.social is out in Political Research Quarterly! Using a natural experiment & interviews, we find that police recertification reform in Massachusetts prompt a recalibration of officer behavior, though not a full transformation. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest = Orbán’s dream scenario. Two disruptors of the liberal order on home soil just months before the 2026 election. First invited to Egypt as the only Eastern European leader, he now hosts the illiberal axis. Orbán gains legitimacy without offering a single concession.

@whitejenny.bsky.social delivering her keynote lecture on „Beyond oppression and resistance: The transformative power of theory“ at the CEST Summer School in Turin.

Hungary is at a crossroads - my op-ed for BI ⚖️ Orbán’s anti-Western course vs. Magyar’s cautious pro-Western shift 🛑 Vetoes could end, but migration & UA remain red lines 🚪 Silent support, not loud intervention — Berlin and the EU should give Magyar space to win balkaninsight.com/2025/08/19/h...

💥🤯 Reaction by Hungary’s pro-Kremlin leadership to Russia’s airstrike on Transcarpathia, home to Ukraine’s Hungarian minority: Viktor Orbán’s FM Péter Szijjártó avoids naming Russia or the region. President Sulyok, Orbán’s puppet, mentions “Russian” air strike in his post—but later deletes the word.

Hungary is at a crossroads - my op-ed for BI ⚖️ Orbán’s anti-Western course vs. Magyar’s cautious pro-Western shift 🛑 Vetoes could end, but migration & UA remain red lines 🚪 Silent support, not loud intervention — Berlin and the EU should give Magyar space to win balkaninsight.com/2025/08/19/h...

Informative quick briefing on why Hungary is such an important piece of the Turkey-Russia-EU gas pipeline puzzle, by László Szerencsés for the Stockholm University Institute for Turkish Studies. www.su.se/institute-fo... @szerlasz.bsky.social

Hungary hosted the informal summit of the Organisation of Turkic States on 20-21 May in Budapest. In his speech, Viktor Orbán emphasized the organisation’s role in Hungary’s energy diversification efforts. See my earlier report for the background.