Leaders from Serbia’s IIPE visit APSU for lectures on global affairs, China’s role in Europe

By: Institute for National Security and Military Studies April 21, 2025

From left: APSU INSMS Director Dr. Rich Mifsud, IIPE Deputy Director Dr. Ivona Lađevac, IIPE Director Dr. Branislav Đorđević, and APSU Assistant Professor of National Security Studies Dr. Rudy Baker. | Photo by Sean McCully

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Two senior leaders from Serbia’s Institute of International Politics and Economics (IIPE) --- Director Dr. Branislav Đorđević and Deputy Director Dr. Ivona Lađevac --- visited Austin Peay State University on April 8 to participate in a series of lectures and faculty engagements hosted by APSU’s Institute for National Security and Military Studies (INSMS).

Prior to their campus engagements, Đorđević and Lađevac visited the INSMS facility at Fort Campbell on April 7, where they held a strategic meeting with INSMS leadership. The visit provided an opportunity to review ongoing collaboration and finalize plans for a series of forthcoming joint initiatives between INSMS and IIPE. It also reflected broader engagement efforts involving both institutions and long-standing cooperation with trusted regional partners, including the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation in Belgrade (ODC - Belgrade).

Đorđević delivered a faculty seminar titled “Contemporary International Relations: A View from Serbia.” His remarks addressed the fragmentation of the post-Cold War order, the intensification of regional conflicts, and the implications of rising militarization, protectionism, and great power rivalry. His lecture concluded with a set of forward-looking geopolitical forecasts for 2025, highlighting the tensions facing multilateral institutions, shifts in U.S. global engagement, and the strategic positioning of China, Russia, and the European Union.

A retired colonel in the Serbian armed forces and long-time scholar of international security, Đorđević has led IIPE since 2015. He previously directed the Institute of Strategic Studies at Serbia’s Ministry of Defense and has held senior advisory roles within the defense sector. In addition to authoring multiple monographs and academic articles, he has overseen numerous national research projects and currently serves on Serbia’s Scientific Field Committee for Law, Economics, and Political Science.

IIPE Director Dr. Branislav Đorđević speaks on the fragmentation of the post-Cold War order. | Photo by Sean McCully

As part of the INSMS Speaker Series, Lađevac delivered a public lecture titled “Friend or Foe?: Chinese Foreign Policy Perspectives in the Balkans.” The talk drew students, faculty, and community members eager to explore how China’s growing influence is reshaping the political and economic dynamics of Southeastern Europe.

Lađevac is widely recognized for her expertise on China’s Belt and Road Initiative, its strategic partnership with Russia, and its evolving relationships with Central and Eastern Europe. She currently oversees major research initiatives at IIPE, including the COMPASS project, a policy-oriented study of Serbia’s positioning between the European Union and China.

IIPE Deputy Director Dr. Ivona Lađevac lectures on the growing influence of China in Southeastern Europe. | Photo by Sean McCully

“It was a privilege to host both Dr. Đorđević and Dr. Lađevac,” said Dr. Rich Mifsud, Director of INSMS. “Their visit reflects the maturity of the relationship between APSU and IIPE, and our shared commitment to serious global dialogue --- both in the classroom and at the policy level.”

The joint visit represents the latest milestone in the growing collaboration between INSMS and IIPE. Their partnership was formalized in 2024 through a Memorandum of Understanding and strengthened by ongoing academic engagement, including the contributions of INSMS faculty such as Assistant Professor Dr. Rudy Baker, who served as a visiting research fellow at IIPE during the 2022-23 academic year. That partnership has produced a growing portfolio of joint activity --- including faculty and student exchanges, co-edited publications, international conferences, and the recently concluded APSU Week in Belgrade 2025, which brought APSU students and faculty to Serbia for a week of academic programming hosted by IIPE.

“What makes this partnership so productive is that it is not just ceremonial, it is operational,” Baker said. “We are exchanging ideas, publishing together, and building real academic infrastructure. Visits like this one deepen that work and create space for serious engagement across institutions.”

APSU Vice President of Military and Veterans Affairs Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Walter Lord, Mrs. Grace Lord, APSU President Dr. Michael Licari, IIPE Director Dr. Đorđević, Dr. Baker, APSU Adjunct Professor of Languages & Literature Dr. Olja Baker, Dr. Lađevac, Dr. Mifsud, and APSU First Lady Mrs. Kirsten Licari. | Contributed Photo

INSMS, the first institute of its kind in the southeastern United States, is supported by the Tennessee legislature and committed to enhancing Tennessee’s role as a national leader in defense and security studies. Its Speaker Series invites distinguished international experts to campus to foster critical dialogue on global issues.

Founded in 1947, IIPE is Serbia’s premier research institution on diplomacy, international relations, and defense policy. It serves as the primary policy and research arm of the Serbian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense and has become a key voice in shaping Serbia’s strategic orientation.

An APSU-TV interview with IIPE Deputy Director Dr. Ivona Lađevac, where she discusses China’s evolving role in Europe and the expanding academic partnership between INSMS and IIPE.