Mainstream US, EU Media Don’t Know How to React to Protests in Montenegro

Both the United States and the European Union were taken aback by the spark of an anti-government rallies in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica and do not have any plan or idea how to react to mass protests, said Irina Rudneva, the senior fellow of the Institute of Slavic Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

A string of anti-government protests, organized by the Democratic Front opposition coalition, shook the small Balkan country over the past weeks. The latest gathering on Saturday saw police use tear gas on demonstrators, who called for Djukanovic's resignation and demanded that Montenegro stay out of the US-led NATO military bloc.

Neither Washington nor Brussels expected the current turn of events in Montenegro, Rudneva told RIA Novosti.

"It's hard to tell what will happen next. One gets the impression that Europe and the United States are somewhat puzzled with by the situation. Apparently, they didn't expect such mass protests and such the turn of events from opposition forces in Montenegro," Rudneva said.

The very few reports from mainstream US and European news agencies prove the point, Rudneva said, reminding that when a similar situation broke out in Ukraine both US and EU media agencies strongly supported anti-governmental forces.

"But right now, media is silent," Rudneva said.

EU countries, in particular, don't want to have another hotspot on the continent, especially considering the ongoing situation with refugees. The open support of the current Montenegrin government could lead to a further escalation of the crisis, the expert explained.