Dr. Jelica Stefanović-Štambuk, PhD in Politics, International Relations and History is full Professor of Diplomacy, International Studies and European Studies at University of Belgrade Faculty of Political Sciences.

She was the founding head of the first TEMPUS Joint Master Programme European Studies in Politics in 1991 and of the newly designed Doctoral Programme in International and European Studies in 2009. Her committed international engagement in interdisciplinary networked research and development of problems-oriented, digitally immersed atelier-modes of teaching are recognized as path-breaking.

Acting from 2010 on as invited lecturer, speaker, programme reviewer and chair at more than 50 most influential international conferences and academic venues that led her to recent monographs on sustainability diplomacy and diplomatic power of circular global regions.

She sits on the Editorial Board of the European Perspectives: Journal on European Perspectives of the Western Balkans and regularly serves in expert capacity for the EU-funded COST.

Abstract

Circles after lines in the Balkans and Black Sea region: Mainstreaming sustainability diplomacy for the intraregional cooperation take off

  •  It is often dismissed as being superficial but all available evidence makes clear the direct link between the connectivity infrastructures and the very issue of power, including “the power of the purse”.
  • From this vantage point it is not difficult to see that the entire Balkans and Black Sea region is ripe for connective, partnering, vibrant and mutually empowering cooperative relationships given the rare and opportune conditioning forces.
  • Nevertheless, a major game changer in the Balkans and Black Sea region is anticipated to be the circularity.