Garčević Writes Commentary on “Why Nations Fail”
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an op-ed in Remaker discussing the book “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty.” Published on May 12, 2020, the commentary discusses the importance of “inclusive” political and economic institutions in the Balkans.
Garčević argues that state institutions in the Balkins are mostly “extractive” and that political and economic power is concentrated in the hands of only a few. His commentary highlights that the application of the concept of separation of powers, known in the U.S. as checks and balances, is a way to develop autonomous and functional institutions.
The op-ed emphasizes the role of parliament in controlling the executive branch of the government. Garčević points out that parliaments in the Balkans are weak and incompetent since their composition is a result of political parties’ engineering rather than people’s will. Taking the U.S./Congress as an example, the op-ed highlights that only direct parliamentary representation makes parliaments strong and able to check executive power.
The full op-ed can be read here.
During his diplomatic career, Amb. Vesko Garčević 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.