OAS Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Americas Quarterly

Human Rights Under Siege in the Americas

For more than 50 years, the human rights system of the Organization of American States (OAS) has served as the last line of defense for citizens facing abusive treatment throughout the hemisphere. It has mediated directly in cases of imminent risk and issued thorough reports that shine light on systemic human rights abuses. Perceived as … Read more

OAS’s Electoral Observation: Evolving to Good

This year the Organization of Americas States (OAS) marks 50 years of observing electoral processes in the region and–more recently–beyond. Those efforts have helped strengthen democracy and have become critical tools and functions for the OAS and other international organizations. Over the course of the last half century we have professionalized the work and have … Read more

Is the OAS Irrelevant?

Within hours of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), meeting in Lima, adopted by acclamation the Inter-American Democratic Charter—a bold manifesto that inched past the jealously guarded concept of national sovereignty to declare with unprecedented clarity that all people in the region have the … Read more