Dousing the fire in the democratic forest: lessons for the Council of Europe from Russia

Blog

Donald, A. 2025. Dousing the fire in the democratic forest: lessons for the Council of Europe from Russia. EJIL:Talk!: Blog of the European Journal of International Law.
TypeBlog
TitleDousing the fire in the democratic forest: lessons for the Council of Europe from Russia
AuthorsDonald, A.
Abstract

Could the Council of Europe (CoE) have done more to confront the belligerence, backsliding and bad faith that culminated in Russia’s expulsion? This blog reflects on the role and interactions of the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE in the dismal quarter century of Russian membership and lessons that might be drawn for confronting the continuing threat of democratic backsliding.

KeywordsCouncil of Europe; ECHR; Russia; Ukraine; human rights
Sustainable Development Goals16 Peace, justice and strong institutions
Middlesex University ThemeHealth & Wellbeing
Publication or CollectionEJIL:Talk!: Blog of the European Journal of International Law
PublisherEJIL:Talk!: Blog of the European Journal of International Law
Publication dates
Online03 Sep 2025
Publication process dates
Accepted06 Aug 2025
Deposited08 Sep 2025
Output statusPublished
Web address (URL)https://www.ejiltalk.org/dousing-the-fire-in-the-democratic-forest-lessons-for-the-council-of-europe-from-russia/
LanguageEnglish
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