Organization of American States (OAS)

Identification International body made up of the countries of the Western Hemisphere designed to promote inter-American alliance

Also Known As Organización de los Estados Americanos; OAS

Date Established May 2, 1948

Originally established to confront the pressures of the Cold War through inter-American solidarity, the Organization of American States (OAS) developed into an organization seeking resolution to the shared problems of the Western Hemisphere. The priorities of the OAS include strengthening democracies, reducing poverty, and promoting human rights within the Americas.

The OAS grew out of an inter-American system that began during the 1890’s with the creation of the Bureau of American Republics, which became known as the Pan-American Union in 1910. At the beginning, an alliance among the countries of the Americas presented a way to deter European influence and to enhance political and trade relations throughout the hemisphere. However, by 1945, the inter-American system needed an overhaul. World War II (1939–45) had effectively demonstrated the power of inter-American amity. However, Argentina’s refusal to rebuff the Axis Powers pointed to weakness in the inter-American system. In 1948, at the Ninth International Conference of American States, held in Bogotá, Colombia, member states of the Pan-American Union voted to reorganize and streamline the inter-American system, creating a stronger organization endowed with a flexibility that could adapt to changes in hemispheric conditions.

Purposes of the Organization

The charter of the OAS outlines five basic purposes of the organization: to strengthen the peace and security of the Americas, to settle hemispheric disputes peacefully, to take common action in the event of aggression upon a member state, to solve political and economic problems through cooperation, and to promote social and cultural development. Above all, the OAS is rooted in the idea of reciprocal assistance, as discussed at the Inter-American Conference on War and Peace (also known as the Conference of Chapultepec) held in Mexico City in 1945. With the Soviet presence extending into Europe, reciprocal assistance mainly meant that member states would give aid or military assistance should another member be attacked. However, the idea of reciprocity soon spread to areas other than defense, such as economic and cultural sectors, where mutual exchange could prove beneficial.

The OAS began with twenty-one member countries and later expanded to thirty-five members. However, the departure of Nicaragua in 2022 reduced the organization to thirty-four members. The organization conducts its business in its four official languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Countries voluntarily participate in the OAS, and admission is open to any sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, following ratification by the OAS. Unlike the United Nations, the OAS created a charter that includes provisions for a country to withdraw its membership, if it so chooses. Cuba, although an original member of the OAS, has been excluded from participation since 1962 on the grounds that its ties with the Soviet Union violated the purposes of the organization; after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba remained excluded, as the OAS felt Cuba's existing government was incompatible with the democratic principles of OAS.

Alberto Lleras Camargo of Colombia served as the organization’s first secretary-general from its inception in 1948 to 1954. The secretary-general is the head of the governing council of the OAS, which consists of one representative from each member country. The purposes of the OAS were soon tested as Costa Rica accused Nicaragua of violating its borders. The OAS negotiated a pact of amity between the two members, signed February 21, 1948. Another test of the OAS’s ability to settle disputes occurred on February 16, 1949, when the Haitian government alleged that the Dominican Republic frequently broadcast radio programs attacking Haiti. Unlike the situation between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, this disagreement fell outside the original scope of the OAS. Thus, the OAS created the Inter-American Peace Committee within its own organization to deal with less serious conflicts among its members, adding to its power to resolve disputes.

Cultural Exchange

To promote cultural development among its member states, the OAS often organized various performances and exhibits, the majority of which were held at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., or at the Hall of the Americas in the Pan-American Union. The OAS began organizing exhibitions of contemporary Latin American visual art as early as 1941. It presented around four exhibitions a year that featured the work of well-known artists, such as Guatemalan Carlos Merida, Uruguayan Pedro Figari, and Venezuelan Alejandro Otero, as well as younger artists hoping to make an impact. Additionally, the OAS presented exhibits showcasing textiles and sculptures from various countries. Music constituted another form of cultural exchange, and the OAS sponsored a monthly concert series that featured the best performers of the Americas: Uruguayan pianist Hugo Balzo; Lillian Evanti, the first African American opera singer in the United States; and the Peruvian folkloric group, the Inka Taki Trio. The OAS also began publishing a monthly magazine Américas, a general-interest magazine containing stories about the member countries, and another publication, The Inter-American Music Bulletin, that focused on musical topics. These magazines were produced in both Spanish and English and distributed widely throughout the United States and Latin America.

Impact

The OAS has worked to promote peace and democracy in the Americas. Little by little, it has added more councils and committees—such as the Inter-American Peace Committee, the Inter-American Economic and Social Council, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the Inter-American Cultural Council—to help fulfill its stated purposes. The OAS has recognized that hemispheric security is intertwined with issues of democracy, economics, and human rights. However, it must maintain a careful balance so its intervention in a country’s affairs does not conflict with the country’s right to sovereignty. Some critics of the OAS have argued that the United States influences the organization to favor its interests above those of other members. However, the decentralized structure of the OAS safeguards against too much concentration of power. Moreover, the OAS has implemented measures so that one member cannot trump the interests of other, less powerful members. Although the OAS has its shortcomings, it continues to work for better conditions in the Western Hemisphere.

Bibliography

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Cooper, Andrew F., and Thomas Legler. Intervention Without Intervening? The OAS Defense and Promotion of Democracy in the Americas. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2006.

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Sanjurjo, Annick, ed. Contemporary Latin American Artists: Exhibitions at the Organization of American States, 1941-1964. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1997.

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Sheinin, David. The Organization of American States. London: Transaction, 1996.

Thomas, Ann Van Wynen, and A. J. Thomas. The Organization of American States. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1963.

Thomas, Christopher R., and Juliana T. Magloire. Regionalism Versus Multilateralism: The Organization of American States in a Global Changing Environment. Boston: Kluwer Academic, 2000.