Garčević Publishes Op-Ed on Future U.S./Balkan Relations
Ambassador Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an op-ed in Balkan Insight on the United States presidential election and how a Biden administration will change U.S./Balkan relations.
In the article, titled “US Balkans Policy is Set to Change, but There’ll be No Quick Fixes,” Garčević discusses where the Balkans fall on the U.S. international priority list, how the region might fit into a U.S. strategy on Russia, and the importance of the Euro-Atlantic bond for the new administration. While President-elect Biden will likely approach the Balkans different than President Trump, Garčević argues that the illusion of America as “fixers” should be abandoned as it sets an expectations that the region expects others to fix its problems.
An excerpt:
Washington may serve as a desirable corrective factor to some of the EU’s policies, for example on Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. Brussels and Washington need not always act together, but there are likely to be fewer moments of competition and more examples of them operating in synergy.
The full article can be read on the Balkan Insight 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 a Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School. Learn more about him here.