Program: Andrássy National Security Fellowship
Year: 2023
Host Institution: Center for Immigration Studies
Research Focus: Comparative analysis of the American and European migration policies and the role of gatekeeper countries to mitigate the flow of illegal mass migration
Quote: “My hypothesis is that because of historical reasons, Europe maintains much closer cooperation with its neighborhood which significantly helps reduce the number of illegal arrivals. It not only stems from its colonial past but also from the experiences of the last centuries when foreign invaders – Huns, Germans, Vikings, Hungarians, Mongols, Turks, Soviets – arrived from the outside world. The United States, if it wants to reduce the number of irregular arrivals, has to concentrate more on the collaboration with gatekeeper countries.”
Read his introduction here: hungaryfoundation.org
Viktor obtained his first master’s degree in history and aesthetics in 2008 at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University (ELU). Two years later, he earned his second degree in security and defense studies from the Miklós Zrínyi National Defense University. In the meantime, he started his Ph.D. studies at the ELU Doctoral School of Modern History, and defended his dissertation, which examined the Somali state building after decolonization, in 2014.
From 2010-2011, Viktor worked for the Hungarian Ministry of Defense. Since 2012, he has been working for the University of Public Service, first as a junior lecturer, later as an assistant professor, and now as an associate professor. In 2017, he won the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He also got a position at the Budapest-based Migration Research Institute (MRI) in 2017. He became the research director of MRI in 2019, and director in 2022. His main research areas focus on the migration trends of the African continent, African migration toward Europe, and the security aspects of migration. He is the author of three books and more than 160 book chapters and papers in academics, including Q-ranking journals.
The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit, research organization. Since our founding in 1985 by Otis Graham Jr., they have pursued a single mission – providing immigration policymakers, the academic community, news media, and concerned citizens with reliable information about the social, economic, environmental, security, and fiscal consequences of legal and illegal immigration into the United States. Our staff has testified before Congress over 130 times.
They are the nation’s only think tank devoted exclusively to the research of U.S. immigration policy to inform policymakers and the public about immigration’s far-reaching impact. The Center is animated by a unique pro-immigrant, low-immigration vision which seeks fewer immigrants but a warmer welcome for those admitted.