Zsuzsanna Végh

Zsuzsanna Végh is a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow in Spring/Summer 2026.

Zsuzsanna Végh is a program officer with the European Resilience program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, an associate researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, and a doctoral candidate in comparative politics at the European University Viadrina. Her research focuses on challenges to liberal democracy in Europe, particularly the rise of the far right and its influence on EU politics, foreign policy, and democratic governance. She analyzes processes of democratic backsliding and resilience, with expertise in Central Europe and a particular focus on Hungary. Previously she worked at the European University Viadrina as a researcher and lecturer and at the Center for European Neighborhood Studies of Central European University. She is a frequent commentator in international media and has been quoted in outlets including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Politico, The Guardian, Le Monde, and Deutsche Welle.

Her research at AGI examines how the rise of a transatlantic “New Right” alliance is reshaping American-German relations. Focusing on the growing ties between MAGA and Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), she explores how an intensifying culture war between liberal and illiberal actors affects bilateral cooperation and the broader transatlantic partnership. Combining policy analysis with expert interviews, her research explores how ideological contestation and external political influence intersect with formal diplomacy and assesses how democratic stakeholders can strengthen the resilience of the transatlantic relationship and safeguard cooperation in an increasingly contested political environment.