Garčević Appears on Al Jazeera Balkans’ The Borders of the East
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, appeared on the Aljazeera Balkans political talk show The Borders of the East on Friday, August 21. The show also featured Ivana Stradner, Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Damir Marusic, executive editor to The American Interest.
The episode, titled “NATO and Russia – A New Cold War?,” was focused on shifting transatlantic relations after the U.S. withdraw of 12,000 of its troops from Germany. Garčević and the other guests evaluated the impact of the U.S. decision on Washington’s relations with European allies and Russia describing the American decision as problematic for U.S. strategic interests in Europe, if not a gift to Moscow. The decision is also a confirmation of the strained relations between President Donald Trump and Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In his segment, Garčević commented on how problems in relations between the U.S./NATO and Russia reflect on the Balkans and Southeastern Europe. He discussed the strong Russian footprint in the region as well as the country’s short-term and long-term goals. Furthermore, Garčević talked about the dynamics in the relations between NATO, Russia, and Turkey, examining motives for current Turkish/Russian rapprochement.
The full program 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 a Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as a Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School. Learn more about him here.