Garčević Co-Authors Op-Ed Requesting U.S. Leadership in the Balkans
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, co-authored an op-ed in Just Security arguing renewed involvement of the United States in the Balkans, which is of essential importance for the security of the region.
The op-ed, titled “US Leadership Matters to Avoid New Violence in the Balkans,” was written by Garčević as well as Ismael Ćidić, president of the Bosnian Advocacy Center, and Drilon Gashi, Manager at Deloitte. In the article, the authors outline the security crisis posed by Serbia, whose efforts today threaten not only Kosovo, Bosnia, and Montenegro, but peace on the continent. As nationalist rhetoric continues to gain a foothold, Garčević, Ćidić, and Gashi argue that Serbia will pose a threat not only to American allies in the region but the U.S. itself. The three go on to mention an open letter to the U.S. Congress that they are co-signers of, which asks “the United States to act for peace and progress now by firmly responding to the current Serbian regime’s renewed threats to the security of the Western Balkans.”
An excerpt:
We come together to appeal for the United States to act for peace and progress now by firmly responding to the current Serbian regime’s renewed threats to the security of the Western Balkans. The independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of BiH, Kosovo, and Montenegro are under direct threat from a revanchist regime in Serbia, one that likewise endangers the U.S. commitments to peace and stability in southeast Europe. Nearly three decades on from the wars that ravaged the region, U.S. leadership is needed now more than ever.
The full article can be read on Just Security‘s website.
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 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.