Vesko Garčević Appointed Director for Center for the Study of Europe
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, professor of the practice of international relations at the Pardee School of Global Studies has been named the new director of the Center for the Study of Europe. Last year the ambassador succeeded Kaija Schilde, associate dean of studies as the center’s interim director.
“Vesko Garčević has ably served as the interim director of the center since 2024, and I am delighted to see him assume the role of director for the next two years,” said Dean Scott Taylor. “Professor Garčević stepped into this role last year without missing a beat, sustaining the momentum of existing programs and investing in new initiatives such as the ‘Decentering Europe’ series. I am incredibly grateful for his service to the Pardee School and to the European Studies community, as well as his inclusive and collegial approach to leadership. The center is in outstanding hands.”
A diplomat by training, Garčević served as an Ambassador of Montenegro to Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In his foreign services career, he held critical positions during defining political moments, namely the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and democratic transition of Montenegro. An expert on multilateral diplomacy and European security, the ambassador engaged in high-level international conferences including the German Marshall Fund’s Brussels Forum, Munich Security Conference, Halifax International Security Forum, NATO Summit, and UN General Assembly.
“Professor Garcevic brings important practical experience as a European diplomat to this position,” said Timothy Longman, associate dean for Academic Affairs and professor of international relations on Garčevic’s appointment. “As interim director, he has already shown great skill in leading CSE.”
Besides his illustrious career in diplomacy, Garčević has authored several articles and papers contributing significantly to European scholarship. The ambassador recently published the book Montenegro and Serbia: A Velvet Divorce? which explores the political dynamics of both countries, their interactions, and forging of their own unique as well as divergent domestic and foreign policy.
“Inspired by the extraordinary work of my colleagues, Vivien Schmidt, Cathie Jo Martin, Daniela Caruso, and Kaija Schilde, I’m committed to promoting the critical understanding of Europe, as a whole, not only its Western part, through its cultural heritage, its political, economic and religious histories, its laws, its art, literature, and philosophy,” said Garčević. “The Center will remain inclusive in its geographical and topical scope and will continue to serve as a meeting place for scholars and practitioners working on Europe and European legacy globally.”
With regards to the center’s future trajectory, Garčevic said that the “Decentering Europe” series will continue to be one of its signature events, emphasizing the objective “to explore Europe’s heritage and entanglements beyond its borders, its complicity in the production of global injustice, and its many redeeming possibilities.”
To learn more about Ambassador’s Garčević’s work and accomplishments, visit his faculty profile.