The OAS turns 60

The Organization of American States (OAS) is marking the 60th anniversary of the adoption of its founding Charter in Bogotá, Colombia. At the time of its signature by the United States and all the Latin American nations, the only non-Hispanic Caribbean member was Haiti.

It is fair to say that the American hemisphere and the OAS are very different today than they were 60 years ago.

In the post-World War II Americas, the United States was the hegemonic power in the hemisphere and Latin America was generally dominated by right-wing, military dictatorships with close ties to the US.
In the post-Cold War era, the US is the sole global superpower, but the OAS is now made up of 34 independent democracies, with the exception of communist Cuba which was suspended in 1962. Cuba apart, political pluralism is respected, though Latin America’s swing to the left is causing some consternation in certain quarters.

More significantly, all the independent Caricom nations are now members, with Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados being the first to join the predominantly Latin club in 1967. Guyana signed up in 1991, after the Charter was amended to let in those countries with border disputes with founding members.

Sixty years after the signing of the Charter, the hemisphere’s premier political body returned to Colombia to hold its 38th General Assembly in the Andean city of Medellín, keen to showcase itself as a sophisticated and thriving metropolis that has shaken off its reputation for violence and narco-trafficking. Medellín was perhaps an inspired choice, given the nature of the challenges confronting the membership of the OAS.

For its part, the Colombian government was keen to use the opportunity to project a more positive image of the country, as it has been affected by the spat with Ecuador and its close political and military relationship with the US.

Against a backdrop of grave threats to the political advances and economic gains of recent years, to the socio-economic fabric of societies and to the security of states and their citizens, the hemisphere’s foreign ministers, including Guyana’s, met to adopt a declaration on ‘Youth and Democratic Values’ and to keep open an ongoing political debate on a collective approach to consolidating democracy, ensuring development and maintaining security. Their discussions were webcast live by the OAS, a welcome sign of transparency.

It was clear in Medellín that the pursuit of a collective agenda for the Americas is a work in progress. Countries face especially daunting challenges as they seek ways to confront collectively the current phenomena of climate change, environmental degradation, natural disasters, soaring oil prices, the spreading food crisis and transnational threats to security.

All are at risk and even the mighty USA is not immune. But it is the small developing states of Latin America and the Caribbean region that are most vulnerable, given the weaknesses in their political and economic structures.

As if these challenges were not enough, the General Assembly took place in the midst of serious political tension in the Andes, growing concern regarding the deepening divisions between left and right in Latin America and fears that existing fault lines could lead to more extreme fractures within and between sub-regions.

Colombia and Ecuador are still at odds over the former’s deadly, cross-border attack on a FARC guerrilla camp in February. Bolivia is a nation divided, as its relatively wealthier, whiter departments seek greater autonomy from the central government led by the Aymara Indian, Evo Morales, who is trying to reshape the social and political order to redress the balance in favour of the historically marginalized and poor indigenous majority.

Venezuela continues to promote a radical but as yet ill-defined alternative model to the moribund Free Trade Area of the Americas and is not above using its oil wealth to play the role of agent provocateur in other countries of the region. And even though Venezuela and the US sit together in the councils of the OAS, they are ideologically poles apart. This obviously presents a major obstacle to consensus building, not helped by the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Nicolás Maduro lambasting the US at the General Assembly.

To its credit, the OAS has been playing a leading role in trying to resolve the Bolivia and Colombia-Ecuador crises, seeking to facilitate dialogue and rapprochement through confidence-building measures and cooperation mechanisms. In Bolivia, the OAS has been supporting national unity, whilst trying to emphasize mutual understanding and reconciliation. In the case of Colombia and Ecuador, the OAS has been successful in defusing the high tension that threatened war and is working on a step-by-step approach aimed at the restoration of diplomatic relations.  

Thus it is also fair to say that the General Assembly provided the organization with an excellent opportunity to underscore its relevance, as it was a timely reminder of the capacity of the OAS to facilitate conflict resolution, cooperation and consensus-building, notwithstanding the obvious political challenges and its perception as a talk shop.

Indeed, at 60, the OAS itself is also a work in progress.