Organization of American States

Intergovernmental organization designed to address security issues, settle disputes among member nations, and promote democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere. During World War II, the majority of nations in the Western Hemisphere agreed to defend one another from any potential attacks by German or Japanese forces. This cooperation was the direct result of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy, an assurance that the United States would no longer interfere in the internal affairs of Latin American countries. After the war, the nations of the Western Hemisphere hoped to strengthen this newfound sense of cooperation, leading to the creation of the Organization of American States (OAS) in April 1948.

The organization was designed to ensure the region's collective security, peacefully settle disputes between member nations, and promote trade throughout the region. A General Assembly, consisting of one representative from each member, was created to oversee the organization and vote upon its activities. To fund the organization, each member was required to pay dues based upon the size of its economy.

The member nations also signed a nonbinding agreement called the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. The document enumerated the political and civil rights that member nations were expected to grant their citizens. The United States had wished to list the spread of democracy as the foremost goal of the organization. However, many of the Latin American nations harbored bitter memories of past United States incursions into countries such as Panama and Haiti. Therefore, the OAS resolved not to topple any existing government, even if human-rights violations were involved.

This resolution, however, was soon ignored. In 1954, the OAS granted the United States permission to overthrow the Marxist government in Guatemala. The vote in the General Assembly was sharply divided those opposed to the overthrow noted that the Guatemalan government was democratically elected. In 1959, a much stronger consensus was formed to eliminate the brutal dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. Led by the United States, the OAS enacted an economic boycott that smothered the Dominican economy until Trujillo was killed in an uprising.

This success convinced OAS members that intervention in the internal affairs of individual nations was sometimes justified. An effort was therefore made to outline when such intervention was permissible. In 1960, the OAS formed the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Consisting of seven members, the commission compiles reports outlining its judgments of both the level of democracy and human-rights conditions in each nation. Based on these reports, the commission recommends whether the OAS should take any action against offending members. In 1969, the commission's authority was increased when the Inter-American Court was formed. This body possesses the power to impose economic penalties upon nations that suppress human rights.

Despite bestowing this additional authority on the OAS, many members condemned the United States' invasion of Panama in 1989. In the wake of the invasion, the General Assembly struggled to further clarify when military action could be taken against a member nation. In 1991, the assembly issued the Declaration of Santiago, a document that specifies five criteria for the use of military intervention. Most of the criteria concern the overthrow of a legally elected leader or the use of violence against innocent civilians. Since the declaration was adopted, the OAS has successfully intervened during uprisings in Haiti, Peru, Guatemala, and Paraguay.

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