Fifty Years of the OAS: Toward a Stronger Organization?

The purpose of this article is to trace the trends that have been present in the life of the OAS in the last ten years, as well as to describe the transformations it has experienced since the end of the last decade. It is divided into four sections. The first states the main factors that revitalized the OAS, after the legitimacy crises it underwent at the end of the eighties. The second highlights the OAS’ commitment to democratization in the hemisphere, the position adopted since 1991. The third analyzes the different ways that implementation of its new commitments has promoted democracy, as well as the difficulties faced in achieving its objectives. The fourth and last section examines the actions of the OAS connected with the building of a “new inter-American consensus” in topics such as trade liberation, integral development, the fight against drug trafficking and full respect for human rights. The conclusions stress the importance of using the OAS as a technical and cooperative body more than as an organization that veers toward political questions, in order to strengthen it in the coming century.