Alena Kudzko

Alena Kudzko is the Vice President for Policy and Programming at GLOBSEC think tank in Bratislava where she oversees policy development, research, and programming in the areas of defence and security, the future of Europe, global order, technology and society, and strategic communication.

Her current research focus is concentrated on European and transatlantic relations and security, including the reform of security institutions and the EU, and migration. As part of the broader GLOBSEC team, Alena, moreover, contributes to formulating the vision, crafting the agenda, conducting research, and organizing the annual GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum, the GLOBSEC Tatra Summit, and the GLOBSEC Chateau Bela Conference.

Before joining GLOBSEC, she worked at various NGOs and academic institutions in Belarus, Estonia, and Hungary, specializing in the area of foreign relations, democratization, and community development. She further conducted research and project work with civil society organizations on the implementation and strengthening of liberal democratic norms and human rights.

Alena graduated with honours and as the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award winner from Central European University in Budapest/Vienna with a Master’s degree in International Relations and European Studies. She previously studied international politics, languages and music at California State University, Bakersfield (as a U.S. State Department Global Undergraduate Fellow), Belarusian State University in Minsk, and the Estonian School of Diplomacy in Tallinn. 

Projects: 

• GLOBSEC European Security Initiative 
• EU – US Structured Dialogue
• Enhanced European Opportunity Partners in the EU’s Defence and Security Initiatives: Study case of Norway
• GLOBSEC NATO Adaptation Initiative

Selected publications: 

• Nothing but Schengen Matters: Updating Schengen: Political and Technocratic Patches, GLOBSEC Policy Paper, March 2020, https://www.globsec.org/publications/nothing-but-schengen-matter-updating-schengen-political-and-technocratic-patches/
• Towards a new level of European Defence Competence (co-author), GLOBSEC European Security Initiative Report, January 2020, https://www.globsec.org/publications/towards-a-new-level-of-european-defence-competence/
• Europe’s Migration Myths (co-author), GLOBSEC – the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Report, June 2019 https://www.globsec.org/publications/europes-migration-myths/
• The United States and Central Europe: Tasks for a Second Century Together (co-author), GLOBSEC – Atlantic Council Report, June 2019 https://www.globsec.org/publications/the-united-states-and-central-europetasks-for-a-second-century-together/
• Ensuring our competitive edge: The case for Transatlantic AI Centre of Excellence (co-author), GLOBSEC Artificial Intelligence for Security Initiative, June 2018, https://www.globsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GLOBSEC_launching_paper_Townsend_Kudzko_Nagy.pdf   
• Future Now: How Artificial Intelligence Is Already Changing the Global and Military Landscape, February 2018, https://www.globsec.org/future-now-ai-already-changing-global-military-landscape/#mADLaW3FzB6dzC1U.99
• Revisiting Scenarios For Europe: Central and Eastern European Perspectives (co-author), GLOBSEC Report, January 2018 https://www.globsec.org/publications/revisiting-scenarios-europe-central-eastern-european-perspectives/
• Labour Market Reform and Visegrad Countries: Deep Rooted Concerns and How to Address Them, January 2018, https://www.globsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2-kudzko.pdf