Mr. Hadley joined Secretary Albright and Graça Machel to conclude the 2014 Frontiers in Development Forum in emphasizing the critical role that democracy and rights play in ending extreme poverty. Mr. Hadley stressed the universal desire for democracy and freedom but cautioned that democracies that do not produce stability and growth are vulnerable to conflict and a return to authoritarian rule.

Quotes

Democracy and freedom are not Western values. They reflect the aspirations of the human spirit. But it is not inevitable, and authoritarians have tools and they will fight to maintain their power.

Values are universal. The form they take when they are translated into governed instructions, in individual countries, that’s going to vary. It’s going to vary with the history, culture, traditions, and aspirations of the people.

While regimes in the short run can maintain control through coercion and fear and force, in the long term, legitimacy comes from the consent and support of the people. And that’s the mistake many authoritarians make. They’re playing the short game. They’re not playing the long game.

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Biography

Stephen J. Hadley, Chairman, United States Institute of Peace and U.S. National Security Adviser, 2005-2009

Stephen Hadley, chairman of the United States Institute of Peace, completed four years as the assistant to the president for National Security Affairs in 2009. In that capacity he was the principal White House foreign policy adviser to then President George W. Bush, directed the National Security Council staff, and ran the interagency national security policy development and execution process. Prior to that, Mr. Hadley served as the assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser. Mr. Hadley also previously served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy.