Ambassador Vesko Garčevićprofessor of the practice of international relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, co-authored a research paper with Kenneth Morrison, professor of modern Southeast European history at the De Montfort University, on the role of the Serbian Orthodox. Church (CPS) in the Western Balkans.
While politics is ephemeral, for Serbs in the Western Balkans, the Church is a constant – a stable entity and an institution that represents historical continuity, national identity and destiny. In the newspaper entitled “The Orthodox Church, Montenegro and the “Serbian world”» Garčević and Morrison explore why the CPS remains a powerful force in public and political life today.
Throughout European history, the Church has played an important role in the creation of nations, their identities and their states. Although the political importance of churches has declined significantly over time, in Orthodox countries such as those in the Western Balkans, the church remains an important actor and is inextricably linked to both politics and state power. . The Church presents itself as the authentic articulation of the soul of the Serbs and, throughout the Western Balkans, many of them consider it an irreproachable institution. The church enjoys a privileged status in Serbia and sometimes operates in a “gray zone”, outside the legal systems of neighboring countries. Montenegro(North) KosovoAnd Bosnia Herzegovina (Republika Srpska).
The article by Garčević and Morrison constitutes an important case study that shows how Montenegro became a society controlled by the Church, which led the country on an uncertain path that can have serious implications not only on the internal situation but also throughout the Western Balkans.
The complete document can be read online.
During his diplomatic career, Ambassador Vesko Garčević has dealt with issues related to European security and NATO for almost 14 years. In 2004, he was posted to Vienna as ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He served as Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 to 2014 and Montenegro’s National Coordinator to NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty of the Pardee School. Learn more about Ambassador Garčević during his faculty profile.