Garčević Breaks Down Implications of U.S. House Speaker Election
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, appeared on BHRT – Radiotelevision of Bosnia and Herzegovina – to discuss the dramatic election of Kevin McCarthy (R-CA 20) as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
In his comments, Garčević called what transpired the most prolonged stalemate to begin a new session of Congress since before the Civil War in 1860. He said that McCarthy’s struggle to lock down the speakership illustrates just how much of a challenge any Republican would have in leading a narrow, deeply divided majority. It also illuminates the strength the far-right Republicans may have in the future, which could make it difficult for mainline Republicans to govern the House in the next two years.
To end the crisis, McCarthy had to cut a deal that essentially yielded the Speaker’s power to representatives of the House Freedom Caucus, placing the new Speaker at the mercy of a group of ultra-conservative Republicans who had thwarted him. Garčević pointed out that now any member can call for a motion to vacate the Speaker’s chair, which would make it much easier to trigger what is effectively a no-confidence vote. More importantly, the voting outcome has again confirmed how powerful former President Donald Trump is in the Republican Party. The prolonged and, in some moments, embarrassing process was sparked and controlled by Trump’s allies in the House, while his intervention appears to have been critical for McCarthy’s election. This will, Garčević argues, shape the way how Republicans will implement their agenda in the future.
Garčević’s full appearance can be viewed 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 Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as 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.