New Publication: The Limits of Turkey's Transnational Authoritarianism in Kosovo

Drawing on 32 interviews and an unpublished parliamentary report, Szerencsés traces Turkey-Kosovo relations from 2013 to 2025, arguing that fragmented political elites and Kosovo's heightened sensitivity around sovereignty limited Ankara's ability to sustain repression abroad — even where close patron-client ties existed with local leaders. The article's central case study is the 2018 deportation of six Turkish citizens linked to the Gülen movement, an operation that triggered a parliamentary investigation and a diplomatic rift rather than the quiet compliance Turkey had come to expect elsewhere. A further case examines a failed attempt by Turkish diplomats to enlist an independent, government-critical Turkish company as an ally abroad.

The article also tracks how the relationship changed after Kosovo's 2021 government transition, as personalized elite brokerage gave way to more institutionalized — if narrower — security-focused cooperation between the two countries.

Read the full article at Southeastern Europe.