Garčević Discusses Threats to Democracy in the Balkans During IRI Event
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, took part in the Virtual Western Balkans Community Forum 2020, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations and the International Republican Institute (IRI) on July 6, 2020.
The event brought together over 180 participants, including local politicians, law enforcement officials, NGO representatives, journalists, researchers and academia representatives. For a week, participants from six Western Balkans countries, the European Union (EU) and the United States had an opportunity to virtually discuss security challenges in times of COVID-19 crisis while focusing on the local response to the pandemic, public safety and crisis management, how to counter disinformation, conspiracy theories and violent narratives, as well how to overcome administrative hurdles and mental health challenges during the reintegration of women and children returnees from Syria/Iraq.
During his session, titled “Threats to Democracy in the Western Balkans: The Rise of Nationalism and Dissemination of Extremist Narratives Online,” Drawing on his experience as Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO, Garčević discussed the presence of nationalism in the Balkans since the 80’s and 90’s, how its rise has been perpetuated by various online platforms and news sites, as well as the prevalence of nationalism among the Baltic youth. Fellow participant Jasmin Mujanovic, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Elon University, went on to discuss how sectarian conflict has become a dominant political centerpiece in recent history, which unfortunately pushes other questions of accountability and transparency aside.
A recording of the discussion can be viewed here or below.
During his diplomatic career, Ambassador 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. Learn more about him here.