Politics and violence are deeply intertwined in various social and historical contexts. In a year marked by escalating armed conflicts worldwide, the relationship between politics and violence has once again come to the forefront. The high number of civilian casualties, hundreds of thousands of displaced persons, and nearly destroyed infrastructure in some regions have not received a consistent and coherent response from the most powerful international actors.

However, violence is not tied solely to war and the use of physical force—it can take many forms. While some theorists argue that the state holds a monopoly on the legitimate use of force, others believe the state itself is illegitimate and a source of violence.

Additionally, violence from positions of power differs from that committed by the most vulnerable. Violence can also be structural in nature, requiring inclusion of gender, economic, and social perspectives.

This year’s Regional School of Political Philosophy Dr Zoran Djindjic aimed to address several important questions:

• What is the relationship between the state, order, and violence?
• What are the causes of global conflicts, and how can peace be achieved?
• Does the nature of a regime—democratic, hybrid, or authoritarian—affect the level of violence used against political opponents?
• Do marginalized groups have a legitimate right to use violence?
• What does a peace movement look like today, and what are the nonviolent methods of political struggle?

Twenty-four participants from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia attended the following thematic lectures and simulation exercises held at the Faculty of Political Sciences and the Zoran Djindjic Foundation:

• “Order and Fear”
  Prof. Dr Milan Podunavac, Humanities, University of Donja Gorica

• “Revolutionary Violence of the RAF and Red Brigades: Causes, Consequences, and (Un)learned Lessons”
  Dr Filip Balunović, Assistant Professor, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Faculty of Political Sciences

• “The Modern State and Violence”
  MA Luka Petrović, Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade

• “Zoran Djindjic: Between Philosophy and Practical Politics”
  Prof. Dr Bojan Vranić, Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade

• “Violence, War, and Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina – The Gender Dimension”
  Prof. Dr Zlatiborka Popov, Faculty of Philosophy, University of East Sarajevo

• “Green Politics and Nonviolence”
  MA Predrag Momčilović, Center for Green Politics, Belgrade

• “Enemy-Making of the Other – Political Violence in the Media”
  Prof. Dr Milica Jevtić, Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade

• “The Question of Violence in Herbert Marcuse’s Critical Theory”
  Dr Maroje Višić, Assistant Professor, Libertas International University, Zagreb

• “Diplomacy Simulation During War – Ceasefire Negotiations Between Israel and Hamas”
  MA Mirko Dautović, Webster University Tashkent

The program concluded with the promotion of the book Political Ideologies – From Truth to Tyranny by Prof. Dr Bojan Vranić.