Historical Aspect and Prerequisites for Amending the Constitution of the RF

The following article examines aspects of the United States Agency for International Collaboration (USAID) programs influence in the rule of law field, started in the USSR during the early 90s. USAID-funded Rule of Law implementers helped draft the Russian Constitution, Part I of the Russian Civil Code, and the Russian Tax Code. The American Bar Association of the USA took an active part in changing Russian legislation since 1992, which was also funded by the USAID. The Constitution of 1993 included a provision on the priority of international law over national legislation. This provision was also included in Article 1 of the Criminal Code and in Article 1 of the Russian Code of Criminal Procedure. The article also deals with an enshrined supremacy of the Constitution found in the US Constitution and that of the European countries. For example, if there is a conflict between constitutional provisions and an international treaty, priority is given to the Constitution. Not all states recognize certain norms and implement them, just as legal practice is not always identical. Attempts to introduce alien values, ideologies, cultures and traditions, all the more with the help of international law, pose a threat to the democratic foundations of the Constitution as a legal act that has the highest legal force in the legal system of the state. The author suggests that the text of the Constitution of the Russian Federation would see the provision removed, according to which international law forms an integral part of the legal system of the Russian Federation. Amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation will strengthen Russia’s independence in the sphere of law, bringing back the best traditions of the functioning state authorities and judicial bodies, which should correspond to the current development of Russian society. Keywords: international law, constitutional law, the rule of law, double standards, human rights.

международное право, конституционное право, верховенство права, двойные стандарты, права человека