By: Clayton Grant
My time in Bulgaria is truly over. While my work has had impact and hopefully informed legal professionals who can effect actual change in obsolete systems, Bulgaria’s root problems cannot be resolved by even a lifetime’s dedication. My place of internship, the Rule of Law Institute and Advocates Europe, is dedicated to the betterment of the countries they are in. Bulgaria’s problems may be solved by the very kinds of efforts that these organizations can produce.
Bulgaria is a country marred by its time under Communist rule, infected by incompressible European ideology and bureaucracy, and divided on ideological, generational, political, and ethnic lines. While the young are taught English and American culture through social media and TikTok, the old are content and stagnant in a belief that preserved the country when all its neighbors were under the thumb of despots. In Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, basic infrastructure issues are left in aged and decrepit conditions while new buildings and monuments are built to attract Western tourists. Being neighbors to Mediterranean countries, Turkey, and Romania, Bulgaria is cross-roads of civilizations where three people groups collide, and Europe and Asia converse.
It was in this quiet conflict that I worked, unaware of the true problems faced by this ancient nation. Unlike Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Germany, Bulgaria’s history is not full of political philosophers or movements that would shape the modern understanding of Democracy. Because of this and the conflicts that are replete in Bulgarian history, Bulgaria has a limited history that can guide it in the Post-Soviet Age of Democracy.
It is the goal of the Rule of Law Institute to help guide Bulgaria through this turbulent time by instilling the Rule of Law as a more well understood and legislatively enshrined principle. The non-profit does this through the utilization of secular law and the courtroom, the connection of Christian legal professionals, and the free flow of legal information.
As my internship came to an end, it became clear that similar problems exist in almost every society. While the underlying issues and history are different, many communities and cities in the United States have been robbed of a cohesive understanding of the Rule of Law. The need for basic protections for historically under privileged communities is just as necessary in North America as it is for Romani is Stara Zagora. While my career may not be international, it will be in line with the Center for Global Justice’s mission: to equip Christian advocates who will promote the rule of law and seek justice for the world’s downtrodden and to serve and support those already engaged in such advocacy.
This post was written by a Center for Global Justice Intern. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.