Garčević Writes Op-Ed on the Balkans & the Region’s Place in the Periphery
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 Balkans and how the region has become less of a priority to the great global powers.
In the article, titled “Our Region in the Great Powers World? The Washington Minors: Master and Apprentices,” Garčević discusses the Balkans’ place on the periphery of the world stage and how this has effected diplomacy with great powers like the United States. As he points out, the region is not a top priority for the U.S. or even Europe, but this may change if Joe Biden is elected president in the upcoming election.
Garčević’s piece touches on a recent economic normalization agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, but does not analyze the agreement itself, which he argues is a joke. Rather, he comments on the treatment the two delegations enjoyed during the meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office. He points out the hollow nature of the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina calling it a tool of President Donald Trump for use in the upcoming presidential election. As he discusses the current administration’s priorities concerning the Balkans, Garčević’s juxtaposes the apparent poor treatment of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic by President Trump to previous meetings U.S. president’s have held with Balkan leaders.
An excerpt:
The photo of Serbian President Vucic facing President Trump resembles the American reality show The Apprentice – hosted by President Trump. The American President loves this show, as its rules are clear – we know well who is an apprentice and who is a decision-maker – the master. Looking at the photo from the White House, we do not only see the power of one and the weakness of the other…The moments from D.C. do not speak only about a specific style that Trump prefers. They reconfirm our steady sliding into the periphery of world politics.
The full op-ed is available online and can be read n English, Montenegrin, and Albanian.
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.