Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Signed on September 11, 2001 by all 34 active members of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Democratic Charter has the potential to be an important tool in the collective protection and promotion of democracy in the Western Hemisphere. Early problems in its application produced skepticism about whether this political accord could work. However, in 2005 the Democratic Charter became a successful framework for dialogue between political parties and the presidency in Nicaragua to resolve a constitutional dispute that threatened to unseat President Enrique Bolanos and erode his country?s already fragile democracy. What explains that success? This paper examine mediation by the OAS, key support by an international non-governmental organization called the Friends of the Democratic Charter, pressure from the United States government and former President Jimmy Carter, and internal political factors that contributed to conflict resolution. It explores whether constructivist theory can add anything to a realist or liberal explanation of the outcome, and what the necessary and sufficient conditions might be for the Democratic Charter to change how states approach internal conflicts that threaten democratic development.