According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 26% of
Montenegrins approve of U.S. leadership, with 48% disapproving and 26% uncertain.
History
Relations between the United States and
Principality of Montenegro existed from 1905 and lasted until the latter was annexed into the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During
World War II, the
United States Army Air Forces bombed Podgorica due to
Nazi occupation in Montenegro.
Đukanović and United States-Yugoslavia relations
When
Milo Đukanović first emerged on the political scene, he was a close ally of
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević (, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the president of Serbia within Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1997 (originally the Socialist Republic of Serbia, a constituent republic of ...
. However, in the years up to the
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...
, he gradually became pro-western. Milošević and other members of his governing coalition were considered pariahs by every western government, so Đukanović became one of the few elected politicians within
FR Yugoslavia they would openly communicate with. They were willing to overlook Đukanović's communist past, initial pro-war stance, and mounting evidence of criminal involvement, allowing him to regularly meet with
Clinton
Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...
administration officials such as Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright, Secretary of Defense
William Cohen and National Security Adviser
Sandy Berger as well as British PM
Tony Blair, British Foreign Secretary
Robin Cook and
NATO Secretary-General
Javier Solana all throughout this period. Some credited Đukanović for the fact that Montenegro was spared from the brunt of the
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an a ...
that devastated the infrastructure of Serbia, suffering no greater destruction. Others find it more reasonable to conclude that he did so only for pragmatic reasons and foresaw great incentives in communicating with Western leaders to push for political separatism.
Post-referendum relations
The United States recognized Montenegro on June 12, 2006 and formally established diplomatic relations on August 15. The U.S. maintains an embassy in
Podgorica. A variety of U.S. assistance programs are currently in place in Montenegro to help improve the economic climate and strengthen
democracy. These programs include initiatives to prepare the country for
World Trade Organization accession and to promote local economic growth and business development.
Military relations
The United States has an active policy regarding military cooperation with Montenegro's
military forces, mainly to improve Montenegrin standards necessary for eventual
membership in
NATO. Public opinion in Montenegro regarding
NATO membership has been cited to be very negative, largely due to
the bombing of FR Yugoslavia. In August 2006, Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, government official and businessman who served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under president Gerald Ford, and again from 2001 to 2006 under Presi ...
paid an official visit to Montenegro, seeking support for the
War on Terror and overall American geopolitical goals in Europe. Following the Secretary's meeting with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, it was announced that Montenegro had agreed in principle to aid the US efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, although no specific pledges of aid were made.
United States Navy in Montenegro
The
United States Navy has maintained a regular presence on the Montenegrin coast since 2003. The United States has on many occasions sent
destroyers to the port of
Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
for naval training, exercises, and regular patrol of traffic in the
Mediterranean Sea.
See also
*
Montenegrin Americans
*
United States–Yugoslavia relations
United States–Yugoslavia relations were the historical foreign relations of the United States with both Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1919 –1941) and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1992). During the existence of the SFRY, relations ...
References
External links
History of Montenegro - U.S. relations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montenegro-United States relations
Bilateral relations of the United States
United States