Editorial: Making an impact around the world

Wednesday, Dec. 29, 1999 | 9:44 a.m.

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union earlier this decade, and other nations starting their own democracies, many of these struggling countries are turning to the United States for guidance on how to establish national legislatures and court systems. Senior U.S. District Judge Lloyd George, who lives in Las Vegas, is one of those individuals who is doing his part to help these relatively new governments assemble an effective judiciary. As the Sun's Kim Smith reported Monday, George is a member of a program created in the early 1990s by William Rehnquist, chief justice of the United States, that sends judges to other nations to advise on separation of powers, the jury system and judicial review.

A cornerstone of any democracy is its adherence to law. Without a fair and impartial court system, a complete breakdown can occur. The inability of courts to render just decisions can lead to anarchy or allow those with powerful interests, such as organized crime, to get whatever they want. Russia and other nations are finding the transition from communism to democracy is tough going, but it's contributions like the ones that George and others are making that might be able to give these nations the knowledge -- and firsthand experience -- to set up a functioning court system that ultimately can provide justice.