Garčević Panels Seminar on Religion and Geopolitics
On May 4, 2023, Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, spoke at the seminar Religion and Geopolitics: Epiphany or Apocalypse?, which featured scholars, practitioners, and experts from Europe, the US, and Africa. The European Institute of Public Administration organized this training on May 3rd and 4th for diplomats of EU member states and officials of EU institutions, particularly the European External and Action Service, whose work is closely related to the event’s topic.
This seminar aimed to provide insight into the relationship between religion and foreign policy, religion and the conduct of diplomacy, and increase understanding and awareness of the role of religion in foreign policy in general. The approach of EU officials and diplomats can be based on a very secular worldview, which leads to some blind spots, occasional misconceptions, and inconsistencies. Amb. Garčević sat on a panel that tackled the Western Balkans, religion, and foreign influence, examining the role of religion in identity-building politics as well as the way external powers use religious and cultural ties to increase their footprint in the region. They discussed whether this influence could have strategic implications for the EU by complicating its efforts to promote stability and democratic reforms and reducing its leverage over local governments.
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 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 him here.