Garcveic Underscores Worldwide Risks of the Iran War
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Pardee School, was featured on Newsmax Balkans’ foreign policy talk show Sinteza to share his views on how the ongoing war in Iran could affect support for U.S. President Donald Trump. His remarks were part of a broader discussion on the global implications of the U.S.–Israeli military intervention in Iran.
The program, broadcast on March 19, featured several regional experts who agreed that, although air operations have inflicted significant damage on Iran, targeting its military infrastructure and limiting its uranium enrichment capabilities, the intervention lacks clearly defined political and military objectives. This ambiguity, they warned, could draw the US into a prolonged conflict with destabilizing effects not only on the US domestic politics but also on global affairs.
Addressing domestic perceptions in the United States, Garčević argued that the war is creating political turbulence within the MAGA movement and may weaken support among some pro-Trump voters ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. He emphasized that Trump had campaigned on reducing U.S. interventionism and avoiding regime-change wars, yet his administration now appears to be among the most interventionist in the past several decades.
Garčević further cautioned that if the conflict continues for several more weeks, the global oil market could spiral out of control, potentially triggering an unprecedented energy crisis. A sustained rise in oil prices, he noted, would negatively impact the living standards of American citizens and could increase the likelihood of Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives in the upcoming midterm elections.
The full program can be viewed here.
Vesko Garčević is a professor of the practice of international studies at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and the director of the Center for the Study of Europe. An expert on multilateral issues, Garčević is the co-author of Montenegro and Serbia: A Velvet Divorce? (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025) which explores the divergent past between Serbia and Montenegro between 1988 and 2023. To read more about his work and accomplishments, visit his faculty profile.