The John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum welcomed Petr Pavel, the fourth president of the Czech Republic, to its stage at Harvard Kennedy School. Pavel was invited to give the Václav Havel Lecture on Human Rights, Civil Society, and Democracy. The lecture is named in honor of the dissident playwright, who was an instrumental leader in bringing about the peaceful fall of communism in Czechoslovakia and served as its president (1989–1992) and of the Czech Republic (1993–2003).

Michael Žantovský, former Czech ambassador to the United States, introduced the lecture. “In 1995, I was privileged to accompany Havel on his trip to Harvard to receive his honorary degree and deliver the commencement address on the radical renewal of responsibility,” said Žantovský. “I feel doubly privileged—and a little moved—to be here with President Pavel to hear him speak on what responsibility means in the troubled world of today.”

In his address, Pavel spoke of the rise of a global civilization and our collective responsibility for its future. He was clear about the challenges. “Thirty years after Havel’s speech at Harvard, the world is not in a better shape,” he said. “It appears that we lived in one of the most peaceful periods of modern history not so long ago. Today, that trend has reversed.”

From Ukraine to the Middle East, Pavel said the world is experiencing the highest number of state-based conflicts since 1946.

“Confronted with the direct threats from Russian officials against the West and horrified by the slaughter in Ukraine, we have recognized that in the euphoria of newfound freedom after the Cold War, we may have taken European security for granted and our own responsibility too lightly,” said Pavel.

As the former chair of the NATO Military Committee, Pavel specifically addressed actions that NATO must take to aid Ukraine: continue to support Ukraine’s armed forces with weapons and equipment; tighten sanctions against Russia; and place lasting security arrangements in Ukraine once the fighting stops.

“I want to stress American support will remain crucial,” he said. “Europe must shoulder more and that is why American support is not a charity, but a vital investment in our shared security.” The support, he said, is not just through military strength, but also with a unity of purpose. “The alliance of democracies must answer the alliance of autocracies.”