In Montenegro, Ljubomir Filipovic, a political scientist and former deputy mayor of Budva, said Djukic helped spread chaos and dysfunction in a country that has struggled to establish an identity since it became a sovereign nation in 2006.

“He went beyond what an ordinary honorary consul would do. He went even beyond what an official diplomat would do,” said Filipovic, who tracked Djukic’s activities as consul. “The intention was to damage the social fabric of Montenegro — and he did that.”

"Learning and celebrating our history should help restore our confidence in who we are as Americans. Pride in nation should not derive from a contrived happy view of history but rather from a recognition that our experiment in freedom and democracy always was and remains a work in progress." 

Leadership, Diplomacy, and National Security Lab Co-Founder and ASU Ambassador-in-Residence Michael C. Polt shares his views on how the West can build a more resilient future, one that fends off the resurgence and ascendancy of autocrats.

I’m from a fortunate generation. I can remember a time — about a quarter-century ago — when the world seemed to be coming together. The great Cold War contest between communism and capitalism appeared to be over. Democracy was still spreading. Nations were becoming more economically interdependent. The internet seemed ready to foster worldwide communications. It seemed as if there would be a global convergence around a set of universal values — freedom, equality, personal dignity, pluralism, human rights.