Garčević Publishes Op-ed on Afghanistan & Lessons for Western Policy in Balkans
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 Balkan Insight discussing Western policy towards Afghanistan, the lessons that can be gleaned from events following withdrawal from the region, and how those lessons can be applied elsewhere.
In his article, titled “Afghan Disaster Holds Lessons for Western Policy in Balkans,” Garčević argues that the West’s handling of Afghanistan should serve as a wake-up call to reconsider its strategies in other parts of the world – like the Balkans. As he points out, Western involvement in the Western Balkans has lasted almost as long as was the case with Afghanistan. After making numerous mistakes and allowing some tragic failures – the Srebrenica massacre of 1995 in eastern Bosnia among them – Western interventions brought an end to our bloody conflicts. However, the European Union and United States’ involvement have not prevented state capture, endemic corruption, infringement on media freedom, environmental degradation, and brain drains in the region. Garčević concludes by stating the Balkan region is one a few spots on the globe where Brussels and Washington, working together, can bring about a change for better – without taking a political risk or wasting billions of dollars, as was done in Afghanistan.
The full op-ed can be read on Balkan Insight‘s website.
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 Ambassador Garčević on his faculty profile.