Serbia's Vučić and the Balkans Power Play — Vesko Garčević

26. 6. 2023

This episode of The IR thinker offers an in-depth examination of President Aleksandar Vučić’s foreign policy, focusing on his management of Serbia’s diplomatic relations, the four pillars of its external orientation and the implications for EU accession. The conversation also considers how Belgrade navigates mounting geopolitical tensions between East and West, including the questions of Kosovo, BRICS, security partnerships and the durability of Vučić’s hold on power.

Vesko Garčević

Vesko Garčević is a prominent Montenegrin diplomat who has served as Montenegro’s ambassador to NATO in Brussels, to the OSCE in Vienna, and to Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, playing an active role during the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Montenegro’s democratic transition. He has taken part in leading international security forums, including the German Marshall Fund’s Brussels Forum, the Munich Security Conference and the Halifax International Security Forum, and is Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies.

Content

00:00 - Introduction
02:28 - Serbian Foreign Policy During Aleksandar Vučić Era
03:23 - Four Pillars of Serbian Foreign Policy
04:57 - Which Pillar is the Strongest One?
10:23 - What Does Kosovo Mean to Aleksandar Vučić?
19:39 - Aleksandar Vučić Vision
24:37 - Greater Serbia Concept
28:33 - Manipulation of Masses
31:38 - Does the European Union Understand Serbia?
36:14 - Is the BRICS an Alternative for Aleksandar Vučić?
39:49 - Latest Security Updates
45:28 - Chinese Military Base in Serbia, a Realistic Scenario?
49:06 - Turkey, Cuba and Venezuela
53:02 - Why is Aleksandar Vučić Still in Power?
56:59 - Weak Points of Aleksandar Vučić
1:02:17 - Being a Diplomat During Aleksandar Vučić Era