Archived Articles
A Guide to the Republic of Azerbaijan Law Research
By Ramil Isgandarov, 2005 Fellow
Iraq is Europe's Business, Too
An article by Chairman of the Trust, Lord Robertson, giving a personal view of the situation in Iraq.
Democracies Need Laws and Civil Society as well as Free Elections
By Lord Dahrendorf
There can be no liberal order without political democracy, but today we are frequently reminded that political democracy alone does not guarantee a liberal order.
Is there a limit to European enlargement?
Lord Robertson's recent speech at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Lord Robertson is Chairman of the John Smith Memorial Trust. This lecture was given as part of the 2005 John Smith Fellowship Programme.
Ukraine at the Crossroads
A piece by Alexander Demyanets, 2005 Fellow.
'This year's political season in Ukraine has started on an extraordinarily high note. On September 8 2005, President Yushchenko sacked the government headed by his long-time political ally and No. 2 in the Orange Revolution Yuliya Tymoshenko .. signifying in unmistakably stark terms the end of the Yushchenko-Tymoshenko alliance...'
Kyrgyz Revolution - a personal view
An article by a Senior John Smith Fellow giving a personal view on the events in Kyrgyzstan in March 2005
New Power in Kyrgyzstan
An article by Chinara Kasmambeteva, 2000 Fellow.
'In light of the growing complaints of citizens, of the opposition and others in all spheres of the life, about the state of the economy, unemployment, poverty, and corruption, the early end of President A. Akaev's regime was predictable. But nobody expected that it would happen so quickly and with the results that we have seen....'
A Taste of Democracy
A personal view of the John Smith Fellowship Programme by Natalia Motili, 2002 Fellow, Moldova.
'Probably, for some people, their image of the United Kingdom is of people making a ceremony of drinking tea. Without doubt, a person who has had the chance to taste tea from the UK - even if only once - will long remain an admirer. But what is the taste of democracy in the UK? ...'
Armenian Democracy
An article by Levon Martirosyan, Lawyer and 2000 Fellow, Armenia, and Nane Achemyan, Journalist.
'This is the 13th anniversary of Armenia's independence. Since 1991, the country has passed through a process of significant political and economic reforms touching most aspects of Armenian life...'
Human Rights in Georgia
By Besarion Bokhashvili, 2004 Fellow, Georgia, and Deputy to the General Representative of Georgia to the European Court of Human Rights.
'The assembling of tens of thousands of people in Tbilisi and of hundreds of thousands in Kiev Rose and Chestnut Revolutions demonstrated identical purposes and the same intention - to get rid of a regime overgrown with moss, and mired in political stagnation, and to vindicate the people's choice, which has been thwarted and neglected by the authorities...'
'New Threats - New Responses'
A public lecture given by Lord Robertson to the 150th Anniversary Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
'The question I pose today is this. Have we got a proper grasp of the range of threats and risks facing us as individuals, as companies, as countries, or as an international community? ...'
Rule of Law
A article written by Lord McCluskey, former Chairman of the John Smith Trust and a Senior Judge of the Supreme Court of Scotland from 1984 to 2004.
'We all use words or expressions like "democracy", "human rights" and "The Rule of Law". But it is not clear that we all share an agreed understanding of what they mean. Perhaps the least well understood is with the concept of "The Rule of Law"...'
A case for optimism
'Is there a case for optimism in today's troubled times?'
Lord Robertson speech to the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London on 15 September 2004
"Nothing seems to be getting better, and moods of pessimism are infectious. Small wonder that when I say I am going to put before you a case for optimism some will be intrigued and others will be simply bemused. My case today will not be unconditional, but I say to you that it can still be convincing ...'
John Kampfner
John Kampfner's account of the meeting between Western journalists and academics and President Putin in September 2004. John Kampfner is the Political Editor of the New Statesman. The Trust is grateful to him for giving us permission to reproduce this article.
Advancing Global Democracy
A speech by Lord Falconer, Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, given to the John Smith Memorial Trust /Royal Society of Arts Conference, London 13 July 2004.
Britain's highest Court rejects anti-terrorism law
A commentary by Lord McCluskey, former Chairman of the John Smith Memorial Trust