László Szerencsés Postdoc

Contact

Name and title: László SzerencsésPostdoc

Workplace: Department of Economic History and International Relations Länk till annan webbplats.

Visiting address Universitetsvägen 10 A, plan 9

Postal address Institutionen för ekonomisk historia och internationella relationer106 91 Stockholm

About me

László Szerencsés is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Turkish Studies at Stockholm University. His research focuses on the foreign policy of semi-authoritarian states with a geographical focus on Turkey, Hungary, and the Western Balkans. He is particularly interested in the role of bureaucracies in foreign policy making under authoritarian conditions. His work is based on extensive field research carried out in Turkey, Kosovo, Serbia, Hungary, and Germany.

He completed his PhD in Law and Politics at the University of Graz, specializing in international relations. His PhD dissertation explored Turkey’s foreign policy in Kosovo and Serbia (2013–2020). He holds an MA in Global Political Economy from the University of Kassel, and a BA in International Relations from the Budapest Business University.

Before joining Stockholm University, he was a Mercator-IPC Fellow at the Istanbul Policy Center at Sabanci University. In spring 2023, he was a Bluebook trainee at the European External Action Service (EEAS) Turkey/Eastmed division. In 2021-22 he was a DAAD guest researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen. In 2019, he worked as a project assistant in the project Migration-Integration-Religious Diversity (MIR) at the University of Graz. Prior to this, he interned at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington, DC, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Budapest, and the Embassy of Hungary in Berlin.

Research

László Szerencsés' research focuses on the foreign policy of semi-authoritarian states with a geographical focus on Turkey, Hungary, and the Western Balkans. He is particularly interested in the role of bureaucracies in foreign policy making under authoritarian conditions. His work is based on extensive field research carried out in Turkey, Kosovo, Serbia, Hungary, and Germany.

Publications

Peer-reviewed:

Szerencsés, L. (2026): Locally Contested: The Limits of Turkey’s Transnational Authoritarianism in Kosovo. Southeastern Europe. (published online ahead of print). https://doi.org/10.30965/18763332-20263022

Szerencsés, L. (2026): Stigmatized but not alone: illiberal coalition-building between Turkey and Hungary. Southeast European and Black Sea Studies. (published online ahead of print). https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2026.2684067

Szerencsés, L. (2026): Einfluss ohne Kontrolle: Die Türkei und die Islamischen Gemeinden in Serbien. Südosteuropa Mitteilungen. Vol. 66. No. 1-2. pp. 69-78.

Szerencsés, L: (2024): Transactionalism in Hungary-Turkey Relations Between 2013 and 2024. Business & Diplomacy Review. Vol. 2. No. 1. pp. 74-87.

Szerencsés, L. (2021): Inclusion and Repression in Turkey’s Diaspora Policies in Kosovo as a Tool of Loyalty Building in Religious Circles. Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies. Vol 21. No. 2. pp. 188-208. https://doi.org/10.3138/diaspora.21.2.2021.05.25

Szerencsés, L. (2020): Security Perception in Croatia since the Declaration of Independence. Defense and Security Analysis. Vol. 37. No. 1. pp. 114-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/14751798.2020.1831241

Szerencsés, L. (2019): Current Defence Policy and Modernisation Goals of the Croatian Armed Forces. Nation and Security. Vol. 12. No. 4. pp. 98-107. https://real.mtak.hu/125082/1/2019-04-09-szerencses-jav0827.pdf

Policy papers:

Szerencsés, L. (2025): The Turkish Energy Hub and the Hungary Connection: Challenging EU Gas Diversification Efforts. SUITS Briefs. March. https://www.su.se/institute-for-turkish-studies/about-the-institute/the-turkish-energy-hub-and-the-hungary-connection-challenging-eu-gas-diversification-efforts-1.806518 (25.03.2025)

Szerencsés, L. (2025): Hungary's Opening Toward Turkey: from Economic Diversification to Political Partnership. IPC Reports. February. https://ipc.sabanciuniv.edu/Content/Images/CKeditorImages/20250203-11022756.pdf (05.02.2025)

Szerencsés, L. (2024): EU-Turkey Relations in Light of Hungary’s EU Presidency. IPC Mercator Analysis. July. https://ipc.sabanciuniv.edu/Content/Images/CKeditorImages/20240724-11071415.pdf (04.08.2024)

Szerencsés, L. (2024): Turkey’s 2024 Local Elections: A Landslide Opposition Victory Amidst Economic Woes. Contemporary Southeastern Europe. Vol. 11. No.1. pp. 61-70.

Szerencsés, L. (2024): Behind Döner Diplomacy: The Turkish Diaspora’s Exaggerated Public Agenda-Shaping Power in Germany. IPC Mercator Analysis. April. https://ipc.sabanciuniv.edu/Content/Images/CKeditorImages/20240502-15052229.pdf (05.05.2024)

Commentaries:

Szerencsés, L. (2025): Turkey’s Drone Sales to Kosovo Test its Friendship with Serbia. Balkan Insight. https://balkaninsight.com/2025/10/10/turkeys-drone-sales-to-kosovo-test-its-friendship-with-serbia/ (10.10.2025)

Szerencsés, L. (2025): Hungary’s Foreign Policy Crossroads – and Why It Matters for the EU. Balkan Insight. https://balkaninsight.com/2025/08/19/hungarys-foreign-policy-crossroads-and-why-it-matters-for-the-eu/ (19.08.2025)

Meinardus, R. and Szerencsés, László (2024): From Erdogan to Orban: The Next Phase in Sweden’s NATO Accession Saga. ToVima. https://www.tovima.com/opinions/from-erdogan-to-orban-the-next-phase-in-swedens-nato-accession-saga/ (29.01.2024)

Szerencsés, L. (2023): Instrumentalizing Multilateralism: President Erdoğan Visits Hungary for the Second Time in 2023. IPC Mercator Commentary. December. https://ipc.sabanciuniv.edu/Content/Images/CKeditorImages/20240103-13010874.pdf (16.01.2024)

Szerencsés, L. (2023): Migration Binds: Turkey's and Germany's Leaders Meet Despite Deep Differences on the Israel-Hamas War. IPC Mercator Commentary. November. https://ipc.sabanciuniv.edu/Content/Images/CKeditorImages/20231122-10111077.pdf (16.01.2024)

Szerencsés, L. (2020): Between Conflict and Cooperation: State and Civil Society in Contemporary Turkey – Report of the Workshop Group "Turkey Abroad: Public Diplomacy Between Rise and Decline". Südosteuropa Mitteilungen. Vol. 60. No. 6. pp. 86-90.

Szerencsés, L. (2020): Hungary and COVID-19: The Pandemic as a Political Economy Tool for Political Survival. Pex Network. Special Reports. https://pex-network.com/2020/05/21/hungary-and-covid-19-the-pandemic-as-a-political-economy-tool-for-political-survival/ (7.10.2020)