Blanka Benkő-Kovács
Founder - Political Advisor, International Security and Defence Policy Expert
Biography
Blanka Benkő-Kovács is a qualified expert in international security and defence policy. Her research and policy focus primarily covers the foreign and security policy developments of Central Asia, Iran, and Afghanistan, with particular attention to the interplay between climate risks and energy policy. She currently serves as a Political Advisor at the State Secretariat for Circular Economy and Climate Policy of Hungary’s Ministry of Energy, and is also an external expert at the Ludovika Center for Turkic Studies of the Ludovika University of Public Service. Previously, she worked as an advisor and later as a strategic analyst at the Institute for Energy Strategy, and spent more than five years as an analyst and media coordinator at the Migration Research Institute. During her career, she also coordinated international relations for the INPARK–NIPÜF Group, and in the first year of the Russia–Ukraine war she served as a humanitarian crisis volunteer coordinator at the Hungarian Red Cross. She completed her studies at the Ludovika University of Public Service, earning a BA in International Public Administration and an MSc in International Security and Defence Policy.
Areas of Expertise
Education
MSc in International Security and Defence Policy
University of Public Service2023
BA in International Administration
University of Public Service2021
Kyrgyzstan: Infrastructure, Democracy and China's Delicate Balancing Act
Among Central Asia's five republics, Kyrgyzstan occupies a unique position. It is the region's smallest open political system, its most politically volatile state, and increasingly one of China's most important strategic neighbors. Unlike resource-rich Kazakhstan or gas-dependent Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan offers Beijing something far less tangible but arguably just as valuable: geography.
Turkmenistan: The Risks of Having Only One Customer
Among Central Asia's five republics, Turkmenistan is perhaps the most enigmatic. It possesses the world's fourth-largest proven natural gas reserves, follows a policy of permanent neutrality recognized by the United Nations, and remains one of the most politically isolated countries in the world. Yet despite this isolation, Turkmenistan has become indispensable to one global power: China.
Uzbekistan: The New Center of Gravity in Central Asia
For decades, Kazakhstan has dominated discussions about Central Asia. Its vast territory, abundant natural resources and strategic location have made it the region's most recognizable state. Yet while much of the world's attention remained fixed on Kazakhstan's oil fields, another country quietly began transforming itself. Increasingly, the future political and economic center of gravity of Central Asia may lie several hundred kilometers to the south – in Uzbekistan. Unlike Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan's greatest strategic asset is not energy. It is people.
Beyond ISIS - A Terrorist Group the World Keeps Ignoring
In the last few decades, terrorist attacks have increased significantly across the globe, and media coverage has expanded alongside them. For many Europeans, names such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda came to define the public perception of terrorism, dominating headlines and shaping security debates for years. However, the reality is far more complex. Contemporary terrorism extends well beyond a handful of well-known organizations, involving a diverse range of actors, motivations, ideologies, and regional dynamics that cannot be understood through a single lens. Have you ever heard of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM)? The group, composed primarily of Uyghur militants originating from China's Xinjiang region, has operated across several countries over the years, with its members and affiliated networks appearing in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other parts of Central and South Asia.