Why a Shield for Democracy in the Americas is Under Strain
The OAS Democratic Charter remains a worthy bulwark against authoritarianism in the hemisphere.
MEXICO CITY—On September 11, 2001, in a special session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), foreign ministers from around the Americas gathered in Lima to sign the Inter-American Democratic Charter (IADC), which for the first time declared democracy to be a right and established new multilateral mechanisms to defend it. When terrorist attacks hit the twin towers in New York, officials expedited the hearing in a show of hemispheric solidarity so that then-Secretary of State Colin Powell could return quickly to Washington. As the twenty-fifth anniversary...
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