Amb. Vesko Garčević Joins Pardee School Faculty
The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies is pleased to welcome to its newest faculty member — Amb. Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations and former Ambassador of Montenegro to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Prior to joining the Pardee School faculty, Amb. Garčević’s served as National Coordinator for NATO in Montenegro, where he managed inter-agency coordination and NATO public campaign promoting Montenegro’s membership to the organization.
“This required tireless domestic public engagement, intensive diplomatic interaction with various stakeholders in NATO member countries, and numerous official visits to NATO HQ in Brussels,” Amb. Garčević said. “Given the challenging security environment in Europe and visible lack of enthusiasm among NATO member states for further enlargement, working closely with other high ranking state officials I had to invest great personal effort and use all my diplomatic skills to make sure that we achieved our foreign policy goal. The reward came in December 2015 when NATO invited Montenegro to join the alliance.”
While helping guide Montenegro’s accession proved a challenging assignment, Amb. Garčević says serving as Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe during a sensitive political time for both Serbia and Montenegro.
“At one moment, between 2004 and 2006, I was Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro during the critical time for its future,” Amb. Garčević said. “Two constituencies of the Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, had different views on their common future and divergent positions on variety of regional and European issues, let alone the question of Montenegrin referendum on independence, which was about to be held. As the head of a diplomatic mission I had an almost impossible task to fairly represent conflicting interests of my authorities at home. No doubt, those two years were the most demanding part of my career.”
Dean Adil Najam noted that Amb. Garčević becomes the third former ambassador (from a third different country) on the Pardee School faculty.
“I am delighted to welcome Amb Garčević to the Pardee School and the Boston Univeristy faculty,” Najam said. “He will bring further depth to the Pardee School’s existing strengths in diplomacy and diplomatic practice. This is an area that we see as central to the School’s future.”
“Ambassador Garčević brings to the Pardee School a unique set of knowledge and experience in diplomacy and statecraft. Entering the Yugoslavian diplomatic corps in 1990, he experienced first-hand the break-up of his former country before rising to the highest levels of the Montenegro’s Foreign Ministry,” said William Grimes, Pardee School Associate Dean. “There, he held a number of the highest and most sensitive posts in the Montenegrin foreign service, including ambassador to the OSCE and NATO as well as Political Director (the top career position in the ministry).”
Amb. Garčević will bring his extensive experience with diplomacy and intercultural communication to the Pardee School classroom this year, focusing on how smaller countries operate in the current diplomatic world.
“I will teach courses related to diplomacy, diplomatic practice, and intercultural communication,” Amb. Garčević said. “Given my national background, I will try to bring in a European touch to my course, putting emphasis on the work of international organizations and so-called diplomacy of conscience. Diplomatic negotiations will be an integral part of the course. Finally, given the importance of social media, use of it in modern diplomacy will have its particular place in the course.”