Summer School Alumnus Marko Cimbaljevich from the USA under the Spotlight

Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković” manages to spark long lasting
connections and creates alumni network that is of vital significance.

We will put some additional light on alumni from different corners of the globe and find out,
through 10 questions, what they are doing now and what perception they have about
contemporary international relations but also what kind of messages they have for future

Summer School participants.

We are pleased to have Marko Cimbaljevich from the United States of America under the

spotlight.

1. Describe your career path in 100 words.

As a child, I was always very interested in international affairs and relations. Therefore, in university, I studied and earned my degree in International Economics and Cultural Affairs and pursued a law degree shortly thereafter in Washington DC. After three exhausting years of working as an attorney in the nation’s capital, I took the Foreign Service Officer Test to see whether I would be admitted. Through a year-long process [and to my astonishment] I received an offer to join the U.S. Department of State. When I first joined, I briefly covered the Croatia Desk before I was posted as a Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica. I followed with consular tours in Frankfurt, Germany and Istanbul, Turkey. I will be moving to Buenos Aires, Argentina for my next three-year assignment. If there are any alumni serving in Buenos Aires, please get in touch!

2. Your Summer School experience.

My experience at the Summer School was fortuitous – I was the control officer for the U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro at the Summer School and was invited to stay on and join the School. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet my counterparts from all over the world and engage in open, honest discussions into contemporary global issues. I am still in regular contact with several participants nearly a decade later!

3. What are the major global challenges of diplomacy at the 21st century?

As a global community, we will not be able to tackle serious issues such as international security, human rights, and economic development if we do not successfully address climate change. While the Paris Agreement is a positive step – this issue will require concerted effort amongst all the signatories to reach the Agreement’s goals.

4. What skills and knowledge the emerging generation of diplomats should focus on?

If I have any personal advice to pass to the next generation of emerging diplomats, it would be to lead with empathy and respect. Be cognizant of the issues you and your host country face together, be willing to assist constructively, and communicate openly and honestly. This philosophy works both within your bilateral relationship with your host country as well as your internal organization. By forging positive relationships, we are better able to tackle the many issues facing us in the 21 st century.

5. How Summer School might contribute to empowering young diplomats?

The diversity of nationalities and points of view are the program’s biggest strengths. Engaging with your counterpartsin the activities and asking questions to a panel of Ministers and Ambassadors is an experience not many young diplomats get early on in their career.  So, please come with a curious mind and great questions – and you can gain a lot from this experience.

6. World after COVID 19? What diplomacy can do to support post COVID 19 recovery?

While the pandemic has been testing our limits on global cooperation, we must pay particular attention to developing economies, who are facing unprecedented challenges to their fiscal capacity in managing the COVID19 virus. This will require international actors and multinational institutions to divert their attention and resources to address their urgent public health and social needs and will require all of us to meet our development assistance commitments to aid in the recovery. Therefore, diplomacy is key to resolving these pressing issues moving forward.

7. What could be the role of “vaccine diplomacy” in shaping the future international relations?

We live in an interconnected world and require a global solution to address COVID19. I am very pleased that the United States has agreed to ship more than 80 million doses of surplus vaccines abroad by the start of July through COVAX and donate 2 billion dollars to support the procurement and equitable distribution of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines to 92 low- and middle-income economies. We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, not to secure favors or extract concessions. Vaccines should not come with strings attached but be shared for the singular objective of saving lives.

8. If you could recommend a book on diplomacy and international relations to global community of young diplomats, what would it be?

There are many books I can recommend on diplomacy and international relations. I’ve enjoyed reading 21 Lessons for the 21 st Century as a broad overview of the challenges we face moving forward. However, I have also found reading about leadership to be more inspiring and would highly recommend Colin Powell’s Leadership Secrets. He has several other published books that I will read when I have some downtime.

9. Your recommendation / advice for the future participants of Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković”.

If given the opportunity to attend, do it! There are not many programs out there in the world that allow for such interaction among colleagues and to listen to a variety of high-profile speakers. Please be mindful that there is a lot to learn from all the participants, even those who may not seem ideologically compatible to you at first. There is a lot to learn from listening to diverse opinions and viewpoints – which will
make you a stronger diplomat and individual. We were also fortunate to be in the mountain town of Kolašin – and if there – please try the Kačamak and domestic Priganice with cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

10. Your suggestion for empowering Summer School Alumni Network.

I wanted to thank the Montenegrin team for keeping us all connected through the alumni Facebook page and through their consistent email communication. I would love to have a virtual alumni event to bring together some of the Summer School participants. It would be great to catch up with former participants and meet others from different classes.

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