The Rumi Fourm is proud to present His Excellency Prof. Dr. Srdjan Darmanović, Ambassador of Montenegro who led the discussion on topics of ethnicity within his country of Montenegro.
Ambassador Prof. Dr. Srdjan Darmanović was born on July 18, 1961 in Cetinje, Montenegro. He Graduated in October 1985 in the Faculty of Political Science (division: International Relations) University of Belgrade. He holds an M.A. from June 1994 in the same Faculty of Political Science University of Belgrade with the thesis “Contemporary Liberal Theories on the Break of Real-socialism”. He also holds a PhD from October 2002 with the doctoral dissertation ”Democratic Transitions and Consolidations in Southern and Eastern Europe” defended in the Law Faculty at the University of Montenegro.
During his university career, Prof. Dr. Darmanović worked firstly as a young fellow, then an assistant professor in the Law Faculty at the University of Montenegro teaching subjects on Comparative Politics and Political Theories. He was the Head of the Department of Political Science in the Law Faculty from its very onset in September 2003 until the Department had been transferred to the Faculty of Political Science in May 2006.
Ambassador Prof. Dr. Darmanović held the position of first dean of the Faculty of Political Science from its very establishment in May 2006. He was then promoted into associate professor in June 2008. He taught the following courses at the Faculty of Political Science: Introduction to Political Science, Comparative Politics, Parties and party systems in basic studies (bachelor level), as well as courses: Political System of Montenegro and Comparative Transitions in postgraduate studies (MA level).
Ambassador Prof. Dr. Darmanović became Ambassador of Montenegro to the United States on December 7, 2010. From June 2005 he is a Member of the Venice Commission (International Commission for Democracy through Law) of the Council of Europe. He is the Founder and President of the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), a think tank based in Podgorica, Montenegro. He was the Representative (National Coordinator) of Montenegro in the UN Alliance of Civilizations from June 2008 until April 2010. He is a Member of the Montenegrin National Council for European Integrations (NCEI) from its establishment in 2008, representing the University of Montenegro.
Ambassador Prof. Dr. Darmanović is the president of the Council of Montenegrin Diplomatic Academy from 2006. During 1990, he was active in Montenegrin and federal (FRY) politics. He is the former vice-president of the Social-democratic Party of Montenegro (1993-1996) and a former member of the lower house of the federal parliament of FRY (1992-1996).
Ambassador Prof. Dr. Darmanović is the author of two books: Malformed Democracy (1993) and Real-socialism: Anatomy of Collapse (1996). He has co-author several books, Between Authoritarianism and Democracy: Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia – Institutional Framework (2003); Between Authoritarianism and Democracy: Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia – Civil Society and Political Culture (2004); Referendum in Montenegro 2006 (2007); Electoral Legislation and Elections in Montenegro 1990-2006 (2007).
Ambassador Prof. Dr. Darmanović is a correspondent in many international magazines for political science, including: Journal of Democracy (Washington DC, USA), East European Constitutional Review, (Budapest-New York) and Sudost Europa (Munich, Germany). He was a columnist in former Belgrade daily Naša Borba (1990-1997) and in the Montenegrin weekly Monitor (1994-2003).
Ambassador Prof. Dr. Darmanović is a former member of the international study group at the Aspen Institute that published the report/book “Future of the Balkans” (working sessions: Berlin-Sarajevo-Istanbul 1997-98). He has participated in a number of international conferences, seminars, symposiums, round tables and similar gatherings in Montenegro and abroad, including all six conferences of the World Movement for Democracy, mostly supported and sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy Washington DC, and several round tables and seminars organized by CSIS and the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington DC.
Ambassador Prof. Dr. Darmanović has testified twice (1998 and 2000) as an expert before Helsinki Commission of the US Congress. Ambassador Prof. Dr. Darmanović is fluent in English and has reading knowledge of Russian. He is a candidate for a master in chess.