“In a fragmenting world, law remains the last common language capable of restraining power.”
That was the message that Secretary General Alain Berset of the 46-member Council of Europe brought to Washington this week, as he discussed Ukraine, democratic security and the future of international cooperation with US elected representatives and officials, the Organization of American States (OAS), and audiences at two leading Washington institutions.
Coming directly from the UN General Assembly in New York, the Washington programme formed part of a broader effort to strengthen cooperation between global and regional organisations at a time when the international legal order is under growing pressure.
At Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, which for over a century has helped prepare generations of American diplomats and leaders from around the world, Berset argued that Europe must respond to a changing security environment not only through greater military capacity, but by strengthening the democratic and legal foundations on which lasting security depends.
“For Europe, it is more than a principle. Law is Europe’s form of power,” he said.
Democratic security in a changing Europe
The Secretary General acknowledged that Europe is rearming on a scale not seen since the Cold War, against the background of Russia’s aggression and profound changes in the international security environment. But he warned that increased military strength without stronger democratic institutions carries risks of its own.
“Strong armies need stronger democracies,” he said, calling for investment in independent courts, transparent elections, free media and resilience against cyberattacks and foreign interference.
Europe, he argued, already possesses another source of strength: a common legal space built around the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights.
The Convention protects 700 million people across 46 countries, while individuals can bring cases against governments before the Court. Its judgments, together with the Council of Europe’s wider system of treaties, standards and monitoring, help translate common European commitments into national law.
This legal space also contributes to peace and stability. Human-rights guarantees under the Convention formed part of the frameworks underpinning the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and the Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ukraine: justice, institutions and lasting peace
Ukraine was central to his exchanges in Washington, including meetings with Senators John Boozman and Steve Daines and Representatives Keith Self and Joe Wilson.
The Secretary General outlined the Council of Europe’s work to ensure accountability for Russia’s aggression through the Register of Damage, the International Claims Commission and the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
He also stressed that preparing for peace goes beyond accountability. At the Hudson Institute, Berset highlighted what he described as the less visible dimension of Ukraine’s long-term security: strengthening independent courts, fighting corruption, protecting minorities and reinforcing democratic institutions.
Together, these efforts aim not only to deliver justice for the war, but to build the institutional foundations needed for a democratic, resilient Ukraine and a lasting peace.
Working with regional organisations
A central purpose of the mission to Washington was to strengthen cooperation between international and regional organisations as pressure on multilateralism increases.
Following the opening of the Council of Europe’s new UN office in New York, Berset was due to meet OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin in Washington later on Friday and to address the OAS Permanent Council.
The focus for these exchanges is how regional organisations can reinforce the international system by turning shared principles into practical legal standards and cooperation, while responding more rapidly to challenges affecting their own regions.
The Council of Europe and OAS already cooperate in areas including trafficking in human beings, violence against women and children, drug policy and public health.
The Washington meetings underscored Berset’s broader message during his US visit: when multilateral action becomes difficult at global level, strong regional organisations can help preserve cooperation, uphold common rules and bring partners together across regions.
