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Articles by Bertrand G. Ramcharan
The USA: 250 years of independence and a thousand years of constitutional history
Dr Bertrand Ramcharan By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Previously Fellow of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government The 250th birthday of American independence, observed on 4 July, 2026, is an occasion for celebration and for reflection. Happy Independence Day, America. Abraham Lincoln’s description of democracy as ‘government of the people, for the people, and by the people’, is lodged in the Guyanese psyche.
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America, Guyana and Venezuela: the play of power
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Former Director in the UN Political Department. A hundred years ago plus ten, British and other European strategists understood that a war was coming between Britain and Germany. Neville Chamberlain, at Munich in 1938, bought some time to facilitate British rearmament before war actually broke out.
The unravelling world order: America’s threatend withdrawal from the United Nations
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Formerly Chief Speech-writer to the UN Secretary-General In previous offerings we have discussed the contemporary world order and the attitudes of the three Great Powers: America, China, and Russia (ACR).
Managing the crisis of world order
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana. Formerly Director in the UN Department of Political Affairs; and formerly Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General. That there is a contemporary crisis of world order is beyond doubt. The question now is how to manage it, if possible. For this we need to look to the lessons of history and to insights from the fate of international law thus far.
Chinese conceptions of World Order
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Previously Fellow of Harvard University and of the LSE. Henry Kissinger, in his book, On China, wrote that the Chinese have been shrewd practitioners of realpolitik and students of a strategic doctrine distinctly different from the strategy and diplomacy of the West.
Guyana could call urgently for an open meeting of the UN Security Council and seek its backing for the ICJ’s order of provisional measures
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Barrister-at-Law. Diploma of the Hague Academy of International Law. This is written with full respect for Guyana’s highly-regarded team at the United Nations, and for its prestigious legal team on the boundary case.
Policy Issues Facing Guyana on the Eve of National Elections: Establish a Ministry of Human Rights
By Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana One has the sense that there is a new air of optimism at large in Guyana. With the new resources, people seem to scent the prospects of a better life, even if there is still deep poverty and want inside the country. And there are continuing social problems and problems of inequality and inequity that remain to be addressed. Justice for women and children requires particular attention.
The era of total war: Should Guyana establish a Ministry of Defence?
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana The November/December issue of the authoritative journal, Foreign Affairs, is devoted to the theme of ‘The Return of Total War’ – a new era of comprehensive conflict, such as is taking place in Lebanon, Palestine, and Ukraine. The message is a straightforward one: States are prone to engage in total war, and the risk of total war is ever present over disputes in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, Oceania, and elsewhere.
Political leadership in a young and fragile multi-ethnic state
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of GuyanaPreviously Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government In 1919, as his country dealt with defeat in World War I, world-famous German political philosopher Max Weber gave a celebrated lecture on “The Profession and Vocation of Politics”. It is widely considered the most important piece of work in the history of modern political ideas.
Guyana and the UN Declaration on Future Generations
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana; Senior Fellow at the Ralph Bunche International Institute, New York. A New Guyana is in the making. I have been submitting in these pages that it would be helpful for all parties to identify and abide by policy consensuses on international principles of sustainability, human rights, and peaceful coexistence.
A legal path to constitutional reform in Guyana
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana; Barrister-at-Law; Honorary Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists I am aware that constitutional revision in Guyana is a matter of high politics – and the political parties have not yet shown their hands. Yes, I know that the Commission on Constitutional Reform has not yet met.
A philosophical dialogue in the Constitutional Reform Commission
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana. The author has honours degrees in philosophy, in history, and in law from the University of London. I write these essays out of a desire to contribute to a discussion of public policy issues in the Dear Land of Guyana. A multi ethnic country like Guyana could benefit from an endowed Institute of Public Policy. Singapore has such an Institute. Guyana has recently established a National Defence Institute.
A UN life in peace and war: Reflections to the Peace Seminar, Columbia University, New York 19 September, 2024
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Honourable Members of the Peace Seminar of Columbia University, It is a distinct honour to address you at this Peace Seminar, which I myself chaired at one stage, and to which I last spoke after I came off the peace-making, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and humanitarian processes as Director of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia for nearly four years.
Maurice Odle’s insights into the Guyanese predicament
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Maurice Odle’s 2024 book, An Eventful Life, carries some precious historical insights into Guyana’s predicament and future. It is also insightful into the life of a Guyanese who worked hard for an education, and then served Guyana, CARICOM, and the United Nations with heart. Giving an insight into the mind of Forbes Burnham, Odle writes about his meeting in London in 1966 with Prime Minister Burnham.
Guyana and the United Nations’ pact for the future
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General On 22 and 23 September, Guyana’s senior leadership, which one expects will be headed by His Excellency President Irfaan Ali, will participate at the United Nations in a Summit for the Future and will, in all likelihood, join in adopting a Pact for the Future, which has been under negotiation over the past months.
Whither Guyana: Autocracy or democracy?
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Sometime Fellow of Harvard University and Fellow of the LSE In an eye-opening and much acclaimed new book, Autocracy Inc., celebrated journalist and author Anne Applebaum writes: “There is no liberal world order anymore, and the aspiration to create one no longer seems real. But there are liberal societies, open and free countries that offer a better chance for people to live useful lives than closed dictatorships do.
A human rights code for judges and lawyers
By Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn); Attorney-at-Law, Guyana. Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana At the heart of the UN’s Agenda 2030 lies Sustainable Development Goal 16, which aims for a ‘just, equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive world in which the needs of the most vulnerable are met’. How can Judges and Lawyers contribute to the realisation of SDG 16? In this essay we discuss a framework.
Human rights education as a nation-building strategy
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana. Former Director of the International peace conference on Yugoslavia (1992-1996) Diverse nations with composite population groupings need to work assiduously at nation-building strategies. During 1992-1996, in the peace negotiations to end the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we sought to base the future peace on the foundations of respect for human rights.
Guyana’s appointment with destiny
By Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan Barrister-at-law; Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Guyana is poised for its appointment with destiny, and that destiny will be shaped by the choices it makes during the next year and a half. Guyana is now blessed with the resources that, if properly managed, can provide fulfilling lives in dignity and freedom for every one of its inhabitants. But for this to work out well there is need for a national consensus on how Guyana’s resources are used.
The future of Guyana after fossil fuels are gone
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana. Previously Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University ‘Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century’ is the title of a highly regarded 2022 book by Professor Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University.
International and national policies on persons of African descent
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan, Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana First Swiss Chair in International Human Rights Law, Geneva Graduate Institute In my offerings in these pages, I have endeavoured to draw attention to international policies and strategies that can contribute to the process of nation-building in a Guyana of diverse ethnicities. It is in this spirit that, after reading some recent exchanges on the topic, I pen these lines as a contribution to the policy-discussion process.
Great Powers and the next World War?
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana; Formerly Fellow at Harvard University; Author of ‘The Protective Function of the UN Security Council’ (forthcoming) ‘The Return of Great Powers. Russia, China, and the Next World War’ is the title of a powerful new book just published by Jim Sciutto, CNN’s prize-winning Chief national security analyst.
The ‘Race-Card Project’ and what it means to be a Guyanese
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Previously Fellow of the LSE and Fellow of Harvard University Michele Norris, a highly decorated American journalist, is the founding Director of the Race Card Project. She wanted to understand the attitudes of Americans to race. So she started a project in which she distributed cards with the following written on them: “ Race. Your Story. 6 words.
Challenges to democracy and the rule of law world-wide
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Honorary Member of the International Commission of Jurists The International Commission of Jurists, established in 1952, held its triennial congress in Geneva on Saturday 10 February, 2024. The congress, which this author attended as an Honorary Commis-sioner, provided important insights on challenges to democracy and the rule of law world-wide that are worth sharing widely.
Self-defence and the protective function of the Security Council
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan At the start of Guyana’s term on the United Nations Security Council, its distinguished representative, Ms Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, one of the few indigenous persons ever to head a delegation on the Council, declared a people-oriented approach to Guyana’s tenure on the Council. This was an historic pronouncement, in keeping with the benevolent pulse of the Guyanese people.
CARICOM Facilitation in the Guyana-Venezuela Border Controversy
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Previously UN Under-Secretary-General Guyana has achieved a notable gain in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which unanimously held on 1 December that “pending a final decision in the case, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Cooperative Republic of Guyana administers and...
An international conference on Ukraine
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Former UN Under-Secretary-General Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Previously Director of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia (1992-1996) Wars end in one of three ways: victory/defeat; stalemate; or negotiated outcomes. Holsti documented that the majority end in stalemates. Whichever way the current Russo-Ukraine conflict will end, it is time to empanel an international conference on Ukraine.
Insights from the UN’s new agenda for peace
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Chief Speech-Writer to the UN Secretary-General (1988-1992); Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana In January 1992, the UN Security Council convened at the level of Heads of State and requested the then UN Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali to submit to it an agenda for peace highlighting the prevention of conflicts.
Insights into the promotion of equality
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana; Previously Professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Sometime Fellow of Harvard University and Fellow of the LSE With its history and demography, Guyana needs to strive continuously for the achievement of equality, and its government has to be seen to be doing this. Policy and perception are both important.
Global Insights: Africa and the future international order
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Previously: Professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Fellow of Harvard University and Fellow of the LSE. … Africa will be decisive in shaping the coming international order. This is inevitable, for the reasons adduced in this essay, which draws on a book we recently published, Africa and the Universality of Human Rights (Brill, 2022).
Global insights: India’s strategies for a changing world
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Erstwhile Professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Fellow of the LSE and Fellow of Harvard University Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s Minister of External Affairs, who visited Guyana recently, has written a thoughtful book, The India Way, that has sharp insights on the emerging global order.
Global Insights: The New China Playbook
By Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan, Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana and erstwhile Fellow at Harvard University As an emerging energy power, a forthcoming member of the UN Security Council, and with an energetic President reaching out internationally, Guyana now has a heightened role on the world stage. It is therefore timely for Guyanese to sharpen our insights into the major players and issues in international relations.
GHRA highlighted in global study of human rights NGOs
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) is one of the organizations highlighted in a global study on The Protection Roles of Human Rights NGOs just issued by the publishing house Brill. The historic study of more than 1000 pages has 62 chapters focusing on the courageous contributions of human rights NGOs and their continuing struggle for justice world-wide.
The philosophy of governance in Guyana
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana (The author, a Barrister with a doctorate in law from the LSE, also has a BA (Hons). in Philosophy from the University of London). The great debate in Plato’s classic, The Republic was about the philosophy of governance. It is evident that there is, in contemporary Guyana, a great debate underway about the philosophy of governance.
Kissinger on the current Great Power predicament
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Former Chief Speech-Writer of the UN Secretary-General The Economist of May 20-26, 2023, carries a riveting article, “How to prevent a third world war”, based on an eight-hour interview with veteran global strategist, Dr Henry Kissinger, who turns 100 during the month of May. It has searching insights into the current great-power predicament. During its forthcoming membership of the UN Security Council, Guyana will be challenged by the issues Dr Kissinger addresses.
Greatness or destruction: Environmental leadership choices for Guyana
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana With its newly exploited oil and gas wealth, its youthful, diverse population mirroring the world, and its dynamic young leadership – civil and political, Guyana could be poised for greatness. But, with its lack of political and environmental consensus, it could also be headed for destruction – politically as well as physically. It is the physical, environmental, challenge that we shall address in this piece.
The future of the United Nations Security Council
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Previously Chief Speech-Writer of the UN Secretary-General, Director in the UN Political Department, and Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana The United Nations Security Council is the most authoritative organ in the world and it is important to have a contemporary understanding of the Council at a time that is fraught with risks and challenges to international, as well as regional, peace and security.
The challenges of diverse democracies such as Guyana
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana. Honorary Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists. The Guyanese people and their leaders need to recognize that the challenges of nation-building they face as a diverse society are formidable, and that they must work consciously and assiduously at nation-building, with a unifying vision. This is a challenge facing diverse democracies world-wide.
Justice for all in a complex society
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan In a previous offering, we suggested that UN Sustainable Development Goal 16, devoted to peace, inclusiveness and justice, provides a good framework for nation-building in a complex society such as Guyana.
A peaceful, inclusive and just society
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Dr Bertrand Ramcharan is the Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana. He previously served as Professor of International Human Rights Law, Geneva Graduate Institute. Young countries, especially those with diverse populations and troubled histories, need to work at nation-building and to assemble, and foster, unifying visions.
The strategic role of national human rights protection systems in the Americas and the Caribbean
By Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan National human rights protection systems (NHRPS) can play a strategic role in the transformation of countries, including in the Americas and the Caribbean. Transformation is the key perspective, as suggested by Sonia Cardenas and Rebecca Root in their 2022 book. Human Rights in Latin America: A Politics of Transformation. The future of human rights in Latin America is uncertain, according to Cardenas and Root.
Six questions for Human Rights Day in Guyana
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Human rights constitute the glue that can hold societies together world-wide, especially diverse societies like Guyana. Human rights strategies of governance can help the world negotiate new challenges, such as climate change, environmental damage and mass movement of people across borders.
Legal issues facing Guyana in its fight for its territorial integrity
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Barrister-at-Law Author of ‘Modernizing the Role of the International Court of Justice’ (2022) Over four days between 17 and 22 November, Guyana’s lawyers put up a valiant battle to secure the country’s territorial integrity in the face of arguments by an imaginative group of lawyers for Venezuela. We owe a debt of gratitude to Guyana’s legal team.
Insights for Guyana from two of its great diplomats
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Formerly Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General and Chancellor of the University of Guyana At the start of Guyana’s foreign service in 1966, Ms. Joan Seymour and the late Miles Stoby were among its first batch of diplomats. Both have just had published important books on their journeys that are parts of the history of Guyana, joining earlier contributions from their batch-mates such as Rudy Insanally, Rashleigh Jackson, and others.
Historical insights into the Ukrainian conflict
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Director of the International Peace Conference on the Former Yugoslavia (1992-1996); Former Chancellor of the University of Guyana Wars end in one of four ways: victory; defeat; a negotiated peace; or a stalemate. Historically, the great majority of conflicts has ended in stalemates. To end a conflict, it helps to understand its history.
The Caribbean Public Order
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan The concept of a Caribbean Civilization has been championed in our region, but needs to be more widely taught and disseminated.
Nation-building in a plural society: Lee Kuan Yew’s strategies
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan Lee Kuan Yew and Forbes Burnham became Premiers in their respective countries around the same time in the early-1960s. They were both gifted men, both national scholars, both graduates from prestigious universities, and both eloquent lawyer-statesmen. Lee had to build a nation with three ethnicities. Forbes Burnham needed to build his nation from four, African, Amerindian, Indian, Mixed, with pockets of Chinese and Portuguese.
Guyana and the clash of world powers
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan The latest issue of Foreign Affairs has a riveting article by Professor Michael Beckley of Tufts University on the emerging world order. Guyana, which is an emerging energy power on the world stage, would do well to take note. The strongest international orders in modern history, Beckley wrote, have been alliances built by great powers to wage security competition against their main rivals. Order-building usually needs a common enemy.
A Constitutional Court for Guyana
By Dr Bertrand Ramcharan, Barrister-at-Law; Author of The Guyana Court of Appeal (2002) Seventh Chancellor of the University of Guyana Ideas travel, or not, depending on their intrinsic merit. Ideas are permanent; power-holders are transitory. Ideas span generations. I have previously explored the ideas of returning to a constituency system in Guyana and bringing in a strong national human rights commission.
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