Authors

Jeffrey Kahn¹;  ¹ Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, United States

Discussion

The story of Russia’s membership in the Council of Europe now has a beginning, a middle, and an unfortunate end. How did the Council of Europe change Russia (if Russia was, indeed, changed) and how did Russia change the Council of Europe?

This paper examines Russia’s drive for membership, which may have planted the seeds for its expulsion decades later. In an historic speech in Strasbourg in 1989, Gorbachev expressed hope in a “common European home” and both sought and received special guest status for the USSR at the Parliamentary Assembly. When, in May 1992, Russia sought full membership, the Council's conditions were a pluralist parliamentary democracy; respect for human rights; and the rule of law.  Despite the conclusion that “Russia does not yet meet all Council of Europe standards”, Russia’s request to become a member was granted: Russia signed the European Convention on Human Rights -- the signature act of its membership -- in February 1996, the 39th member state to do so.  The rationale was simply stated by a Council of Europe rapporteur: “Integration is better than isolation; co-operation is better than confrontation.” 

To evaluate the truth content of that statement, this legal and political history is reconsidered in this paper, which carefully examines the primary source documents of this period. The effects on both Russia and the Council of Europe are assessed.