Our research aims to construct a notional map depicting the relationships between the Serbian and Hungarian far-right movements, the Serbian far-right in perception of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, as well as the Hungarian far-right approach to these eastern authoritarian regimes. Utilizing the taxonomy of non-state actors engaged in hybrid activities and an analysis of the strategic interests of the Russian Federation and China in the Southeast European region, the study identifies the strongest mutual relationships of amity and enmity. It analyses the risks associated with these relationships and their impact on the security dynamics in the South-eastern part of the European regional security complex, as per the understanding of the Copenhagen School. We use the term "far-right" as the umbrella concept of extreme and radical right, including populist radical right, with the core of the study focusing on active political parties and/or movements falling under this definition. To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the following research questions guide our investigation: (1) What is the nature of the relationship between Serbian and Hungarian far-right representatives? (2) What has been the evolution of these relationships, and how has the historical legacy of nationalist disputes, specifically the Treaty of Trianon, influenced them? (3) How do these far-right representatives perceive the foreign policies of the Russian Federation and China in the global geopolitical context? The core of the research involves the analysis of official political and foreign policy documents (e.g., party platforms, if existent), media outputs of the examined actors, interviews, and the analysis of activities on social media platforms in line with the constructivist approach to the role of language in shaping socio-political reality. This research is conducted in cooperation with Ms. Karin Köváry Sólymos, an expert in the Hungarian far-right.
Jiří Němec is a PhD student of Security and Strategic Studies at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. He focuses on Russian and Chinese foreign malign influence in the security sectors of the Western Balkan states. He is generally interested in the WB states’ contemporary foreign and security policies, hybrid warfare, influence operations, the role of language in shaping politics and security, and sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. Jiří worked for the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and received the Award for Active Development of Civil Society for co-leading a volunteer project in northern Albania, a students’ award for teaching or a dean’s award for excellence in studies. He maintains active relations with NGOs supporting survivors of sexual violence in Kosovo and holds a master’s degree in international relations. His most recent article, co-authored with Ms Bojana Zorić, focuses on reconciliation processes in North Macedonia, and the latest book chapter discusses socio-legal factors that prevent survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Kosovo from state and society-driven rehabilitation.