Garčević Discusses Foreign Influence in Western Balkans
On May 31, 2021, Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, spoke during a book launch for Western Balkans Playbook: Competition for Influence Among Foreign Actors hosted by the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Garčević joined an expert panel, which also featured Tamás Levente Molnár, Research Fellow, Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade; Tamás Peragovics, Research Assistant, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Institute of World Economics; Ágnes Szunomár, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Institute of World Economics; and Gergely Varga, Program Manager, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
In his remarks, Garčević noted that external influence can be favorable or disadvantageous for the establishment of an encouraging political landscape for democratic reforms and regional sustainable development. He pointed out that there are major external players – the European Union, the United States, Russia, and China – with a distinctive presence in the region. Their involvement makes enduring but different consequences for the region’s political sustainability. While cooperation with the EU is indivisible from reform activities in the Western Balkans, Garčević said the way how local governments are politically engaged with China or Russia erodes already weak institutions and facilitates white-collar corruption
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 Ambassador Garčević on his faculty profile.