The Helsinki Final Act, the treaty that recognized the inviolability of borders in Europe and formally ended World War II, states that signatories “will promote and encourage the effective exercise of civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and other rights and freedoms, all of which derive from the inherent dignity of the human person.” The Charter of the Organization of American States declares that “representative democracy is an indispensable condition for the stability, peace, and development of the region.” In practice, these documents and treaties, sometimes collectively known as
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