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21 February 2025 / Roger Smith
Issue: 8105 / Categories: Features , Rule of law , International justice
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George Soros & me

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On the frontlines of the rule of law: Roger Smith applauds the work of the Open Society Justice Initiative

Okay. The title of this piece is clickbait. I have never met George Soros. I do know that he is the Hungarian-born billionaire known sometimes as ‘the man who broke the Bank of England’ in homage to his humiliation of the pound in 1992. He is extremely rich, seemingly worth around $7bn. My contact with him has been indirect—through his Open Society Foundations and, in particular, the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) formed in 2003. This has had brilliant leadership until recently from a Georgian then based in Budapest, Zaza Namoradze (classical music lovers may recognise the name: his son, Nicolas, is an increasingly recognised classical pianist). OSJI, not well known in the UK, is an outstanding organisation which deserves more recognition for its work over the last two decades.

Facing two ways

OSJI combined a precise focus—the development of the rule of law in former socialist bloc countries—with an internationalist perspective

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