The United States and the international community must encourage the spread of democratic forms of government throughout the world, said Georgetown graduate Mark P. Lagon , deputy assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs and former Georgetown adjunct professor, in a speech Tuesday night in Copley Formal Lounge.

Lagon stressed the need for active U.S. and United Nations leadership in advancing peace and extending freedom, referring to freedom as a nonnegotiable human right.

“If we hope to build a democracy caucus to help the U.N. . then we must work at the core of democracy,” Lagon said. “I’d like to see the U.N. live up to its potential.”

Lagon said that democracy helps stabilize world politics by preventing war. Democracy is not an “outgrowth of economic prosperity,” but a promoter of economic growth, he said.

“Democracies don’t go to war with each other,” Lagon said.

Referring to Afghanistan and Iran, he said that although the U.N. did strengthen democracy in a few states, it still fails to increase transparency, combat corruption and facilitate democratic development.

Lagon praised the efforts of the U.N. Democracy Fund, which was created over the summer, as essential in providing grants to international organizations and governments for democracy efforts around the world. He said that voluntary contributions and availability of the fund to countries not in the U.N. could reinforce the spread of democracy.

Addressing the issue of representation in the U.N., Lagon said that the General Assembly’s current “one nation, one vote” procedure undermines fundamental aspects of democracy, because “many [governments] do not represent the interest of its people.”

Likening the U.N. to a legislative body, Lagon said that the U.N. is currently ineffective at encouraging democracy and human rights because of the conflicting interests of its many members.

He added that many countries do not support U.N. scrutiny of other states, because they fear U.N. criticism themselves. These fearful countries face the challenge of reconciling their individual interests with the collective interests of the international community.

Lagon also addressed the U.N.’s lack of credibility in promoting human rights, which consequently undermines the promotion of democracy. He proposed an establishment of a more transparent human rights council to replace the current human rights commission.

“We need a body to help those on the ground,” Lagon said.

He said that a constant partnership between the U.S. and the European Union is essential to the success of the human rights council.

“I would argue that the U.S. and the E.U. are both Wilsonian,” he said, referring to the self-determinism and devotion to democratic ideals prevalent in both world powers.

Lagon specializes in issues like multilateral policy development and U.N.-related human rights policy.