Cyril Foster Lecture given By Kofi Annan,
UN Secretary-General, at Oxford on 19th June 2001
War Less likely between Mature Democracies

'Why Democracy is an International Issue' Beginning with the statement that a major concern of the international community was the restoration of domestic peace in countries where it had broken down, Kofi Annan said that two essential ingredients for peace were democratic governance and the primacy of human rights. Without these no peace would be stable. (This abbreviated account cannot do full justice to his lecture which is available on the UN website)

Democracy was the major thread running through everything the Secretary-General said. This applied within the mature democracies, of which he was sometimes critical, and to the United Nations itself. Two hundred years ago the philosopher, Kant, had said that republics (nearest representatives today are liberal democracies) were usually on the same side in war and rarely went to war against one another. However "dynastic States, religions, totalitarian governments and military dictatorships" had fought each other in the past.

But democracies too, he said, can behave in an aggressive way. In some cases they would argue that their opponents were not democratic, something that is not always clear to third parties. Liberal democracies were essentially, open and transparent systems. This provided "built-in safeguards against military adventurism" While democratic states must convince their citizens that resort to war was justified, non democratic states found it easier to mould public opinion. A regime that was not accountable found it easier to control the media. Democracies were least true to themselves when pursuing secret policies Even in the greatest democracies some people worked to undermine the stability of the elected government. Kant considered that publicity (public information) was a fundamental principle of right.

Mr. Annan thought it was regrettable that democracies were sometimes reluctant to take risks, unwilling to fight in a just cause when action was really needed. As an example he cited the reluctance to stand up to Nazi Germany in its early stages. It was a painful paradox that mature democracies were unwilling to provide troops for peacekeeping missions. This was mainly to do with the domestic affairs of states, especially where it concerned internal conflict in another state.

There had been successful UN missions in the 80's and early 90's which helped to organize elections in El Salvador, Mozambique and Cambodia. However maintaining a cease-fire after a long civil war was more complex and in Kosovo and East Timor the mandate was extended to provide transitional administration, overseeing the political process. The functions of such a mission included humanitarian relief, de-mining, disarmament and the establishment of political institutions.

Aware that by no means all members of the UN General Assembly enjoyed democratic institutions he said that some governments ruled by divine sanction, others by dynastic succession. Kofi Annan said that they could rule with confidence if they ruled with their peoples' consent.

Where consent had broken down legitimacy could only be achieved by seeking "the will of the people". One had to find the consensus and seek how to implement it. It was possible to help with organizing elections and devising a constitutional programme, but elections alone would not resolve conflict. The UN had learned the hard way in Angola in 1992. The losers had been unwilling to accept the complete authority of the winners.

"You have learned this lesson in the U.K. too", he added. "In your national elections, the winner takes all, but the political parties respect the system". In N. Ireland you have developed quite a different system involving proportional representation and institutionalized power sharing". That was the normal route where civil conflict was ended by negotiations. In democracies there was an understanding that the majority would not crush the minority. Opposition parties must have the opportunity to campaign.

We should avoid 'fig-leaf' democracy where elections are not really free and the principal media is owned by the state. Democracy, he said, requires the rule of law, justice administered without fear or favor, independent courts and impartial police.

Mr. Annan praised a study done for the United Nations University in which Professor Frances Stewart, head of Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford University had played an important part. The study found that conflicts were more likely where "social inequalities coincide with the divide between ethnic and religious communities".

He said that the UN was now more involved in democratization even outside its concepts of peacekeeping and peace building. Many countries now turned to the UN for help. Democracy was essential to the hopes of humanity for a better future. He believed that 'discrimination' was one of the greatest threats to democracy.

In Europe today xenophobia and political manipulation existed. There was a fear of foreigners "and that poses the greatest threat to democracy". Immigrants were often portrayed as 'bogus asylum seekers'. There was a need for more democracy at a global level, which was the reason for the existence of the United Nations. The UN Charter referred to 'the sovereign equality of all its members'. This referred to states, not citizens. But states were very unequal. "This is not something to feel comfortable about". Stability could not be taken for granted. Wealthy states had a "moral obligation", the appreciation of which would come from an attitude of "enlightened self-interest".

The UN sought to give voice to the small, poor and weak. The small and weak did feel less equal. Many agreed now with Dag Hammarskjold, a former UN Secretary-General, that the duty of the UN was to protect the weak against the strong In the long term the future of the UN depended on achieving this.

Kofi Annansaid he supported the call for UN Security Council reform, although, he said "that is a matter for the membership". But added "don't just focus on the Security Council", We should look at other
institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO), "and indeed the boardrooms of multinational companies".

Greater weight should be given to the views of the poor, who were still in the majority. It was sometimes said that non-democratic leaders were often not representative of their people. The Organization of African Unity (OAU) had taken a courageous stand by refusing to admit leaders to its meetings who had come to power by unconstitutional means.

Mr. Annan looked forward to the day when the UN General Assembly was also able to take this view. All countries should be represented by governments who truly represented their citizens. The UN had been founded 56 years before to be representative of the peoples of the world.