Garcevic Writes OpEd in BalkanInsight
Ambassador Vesko Garcevic, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published a recent Op-Ed in BalkanInsight entitled “The Church Has Become the Real Opposition in Montenegro.” The article was published on February 28, 2020. The OpEd argues that religion is being weaponized in Montenegro, but it is not an exception.
From the text of the article:
Extreme ideologies are gaining ground everywhere in the region. A nationalistic public discourse has become equally pervasive in both EU and non-EU states in the Balkans. The region again resembles a time that most of us thought was far behind us.
NGOs and political parties are in retreat. Barely visible, their voices are hard to hear…They seem afraid of confrontation with the mighty Church. Or, they fear that standing up to the retrograde narrative of the clergy would mean siding with a government they are against.
This vicious circle will be difficult to break: identity battles are making democratic reforms a secondary issue; the lack of democratic and economic progress makes people more disappointed; discontented masses become an easier target for manipulation and nationalistic demagogy… Against this grim backdrop, one thing is certain. Montenegro’s and regions’ EU perspective is moving farther away.
The full article can be read here.
During his diplomatic career, Amb. Vesko Garcevic dealt with issues pertinent to European security and NATO for almost 14 years. In 2004, he was posted in Vienna to serve as Ambassador to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He had been a Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as a Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School.