Henry Kissinger spoke Thursday morning at the University’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs as part of a panel discussion.

The panel kicked off the last of a four day series of forums on American politics and policy. The topic, “Democracy and America’s Role in the World”, was addressed by six foreign policy leaders, including Kissinger, a former Secretary of State.

Moderator Brian Atwood, dean of the Humphrey Institute, said promoting democracy has been controversial on “both sides of the aisle.”

Half of the new democracies created since 1965 have failed, and Atwood said “impressive growth in non-democratic countries defies the notion that democracy alone is the path to prosperity.”

Panelists talked about what level of priority democracy should have in defining international relationships and the role of elections in establishing democracies.

Kissinger urged the U.S. government to exercise patience and awareness of its own limitations, questioning its ability to “carry out democratization on a global scale.”

He said private U.S. organizations should get involved, and expressed support for the efforts of the National Democratic Institute as a private organization.