Expert Analysis
By Eduardo Kohn, B’nai B’rith Director of Latin American Affairs
During the last week of June, the 55th Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly took place on the tiny Caribbean Island of Antigua and Barbuda.
In one of his first speeches addressing the organization members, new Secretary General Albert Ramdin of Suriname, who took office May 30, said the main goal that should be addressed in the General Assembly is the chaotic situation in Haiti, a country decimated by gangs, violence, poverty and total political instability. He remarked that he would not say if Venezuela is ruled by a dictatorship or not, nor would he call the Venezuelan president a dictator. “Venezuela needs a process for returning to democracy and the secretary general is ready to help both sides, including the opposition, to sit at a table and discuss solutions,” he said.
In his opening remarks to the plenum, Ramdin also said that conflict in the Middle East must be solved by peace negotiations.
Chile and Bolivia were the two countries that raised at the table and in their presentations not only the war in Gaza but also the war between Iran against Israel. Out of the blue and far from the issues the OAS should really address and be concerned about (poverty, inequity, corruption, dictatorships, drug trafficking), both Chile and Bolivia blasted Israel for the war in Gaza. There was not a single word about Oct. 7 , not a single word of the hostages that remain in Hamas tunnels in Gaza, not a single word against Hamas terrorism. Chile went further and blasted both Israel and the U.S. for bombing nuclear sites in Iran. Again, not a word of 46 years of threats from Iran boasting from international podiums that it “would exterminate the State of Israel”; not a single word of the illegal Iranian nuclear weapons program, not a word of Iran sponsoring terrorism all over the world, including Argentina, which was victim of two brutal terrorist attacks in 1992 and 1994.
But all the speeches and promises and wishful thinking were really challenged when the U.S. head of delegation took the floor and put on the table what may happen with the OAS soon if the organization keeps walking as it has been in the past. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau was very critical of the negative results of the OAS vis a vis Venezuela and Haiti. The U.S. funds 50% of the OAS budget, but when resolutions about dictatorships and crises like Haiti’s come to a vote and resolution, Brazil leads a regional group formed by Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, several Caribbean islands and now also Uruguay. The group always prioritizes ideological affinities and keeping silent before dictatorships and the U.S. lose any proposal or vote. In this context Landau said: “As you all know, President Trump signed an Executive Order in January asking Secretary Marco Rubio to check all the international and multilateral organizations where the U.S. is a member state within the following six months, to decide if those memberships we have are according to the U.S. interests and if the organizations can be reformed. Once these revisions conclude, Secretary Rubio must report his conclusions to the president and recommend if the U.S. must stay or step down from some of those international Organizations. The revisions are taking place now, and it is obvious that OAS is one of the organizations we are checking. To be honest, I am not sure I can now predict which will be the conclusion of the revision on the OAS.”
He added: “Let’s see relevant cases. Last year, the whole world witnessed that an election was shamelessly stolen in Venezuela. The opposition overwhelmingly won that election and had the evidence. Before such a fraud, what has the OAS done? As we can see, nothing substantial. Many, probably most of the countries seated at the table in the General Assembly are home of thousands and even millions of Venezuelans that have fled from their country. I am here to extend a bond of friendship to the organization and anyone that wants to accept it. But friendship is a street that runs on both sides. Secretary Rubio and myself must be able to tell our president and our people if our substantial investment in this organization is beneficial for our country. I am not sure we are able to do that at this very moment.”
On the last day of the General Assembly, Landau’s warning received a signal. The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights had to elect members. The U.S. proposed María Rosa Payá, a Cuban exile living in the U.S., an activist for human rights and above all a great fighter against the Cuban dictatorship. Her father Oswaldo Payá was kept as a political prisoner who died under torture in a Cuban prison. Before Landau’s words, Payá did not have enough votes. On Friday, June 27th, she received the majority of votes and was named as a new member of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. It is the first sign that the U.S. message in the OAS plenary were heard. The future will show if Landau was heard enough and above all, well understood. Voting a nomination is a gesture—the crisis in Haiti and the Venezuelan dictatorship need more than a gesture.
The OAS Secretary General has limited powers, but those he has can be used to show leadership and request compliance from the member states. The outrageous attacks against Israel from Chile and Bolivia should not have been allowed. They were incitement—nothing on the matter was included in any agenda of the plenary or the committees. Venezuela is a dictatorship and must be treated as such until it becomes a democracy again. The democratic charter of the OAS, approved 24 years ago, is very clear in this regard.
Member states must decide if they continue the ideological confrontation or try to make the OAS work by helping to solve the many dramatic and serious issues throughout the region.
Otherwise, the OAS is at a crossroads today and tomorrow.
Eduardo Kohn, Ph.D., has been the B’nai B’rith International Director of Latin American Affairs since 1984. Before joining B’nai B’rith, he worked for the Israeli embassy in Uruguay, the Israel-Uruguay Chamber of Commerce and Hebrew College in Montevideo. He is a published author of “Zionism, 100 years of Theodor Herzl,” and writes op-eds for publications throughout Latin America. He graduated from the State University of Uruguay with a doctorate in diplomacy and international affairs. To view some of his additional content, click here.