Editing Organization of American States (section)

== History ==
{{more citations needed|section|date=April 2018}}<!--very few citations-->
===19th century===
[[File:"International Union of American Republics" logo in 1909 - from publication Cacao (1909) (IA cacao00inte) (page 1 crop).jpg|thumb|The International Union of American Republics' logo in 1909<ref>{{Citation|last1=catalog|first1=International bureau of the American republics, Washington, D. C. [from old |title=Cacao |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cacao_(IA_cacao00inte).pdf |access-date=13 October 2021 |last2=Book|first2=Start this}}</ref>]]
[[File:Pan American between 1910 and 1920 (cropped).jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Pan American Union Building]] in 1910, shortly after its construction in [[Washington, D. C.]]]]
The notion of an international union in the American continent was first put forward during the liberation of America by [[José de San Martín]] and [[Simón Bolívar]]<ref>{{cite web |title = Panama: A Country Study |location = Washington |publisher = GPO for the Library of Congress |year = 1987 |url = http://countrystudies.us/panama/4.htm }}</ref> who, at the 1826 [[Congress of Panama]], still being part of [[Colombia]], proposed creating a league of American republics, with a common military, a mutual defense pact, and a supranational parliamentary assembly. The meeting was attended by representatives of [[Gran Colombia]], comprising the present-day countries of [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Panama]], and [[Venezuela]], [[Argentina]], [[Peru]], [[Bolivia]], the [[United Provinces of Central America]], and [[Mexico]] but the grandly titled "Treaty of Union, League, and Perpetual Confederation" was ultimately ratified only by Gran Colombia. Bolívar's dream soon floundered with civil war in Gran Colombia, the disintegration of Central America, and the emergence of [[Nationalism|national]] rather than New World outlooks in the newly independent American republics. Bolívar's dream of inter-American unity was meant to unify Hispanic American nations against external powers.

The pursuit of regional solidarity and cooperation again came to the forefront in 1889–1890, at the First [[International Conference of American States]]. Gathered together in Washington, D.C., 18 nations resolved to found the International Union of American Republics, served by a permanent secretariat called the Commercial Bureau of the American Republics (renamed the International Commercial Bureau at the Second International Conference in 1901–1902). These two bodies, in existence as of 14 April 1890, represent the point of inception to which the OAS and its [[Secretary (title)|General Secretariat]] trace their origins.

===20th century===
[[File:Pan American Union, Washington, DC in 1943.jpg|thumb|[[Pan American Union Building|Pan American Union headquarters building]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1943]]
At the fourth [[International Conference of American States]] ([[Buenos Aires]], 1910), the name of the organization was changed to the Union of American Republics and the Bureau became the Pan American Union. The [[Pan American Union Building]] was constructed in 1910, on [[Constitution Avenue]], [[Northwest, Washington, D.C.]]

In the mid-1930s, U.S. President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] organized an inter-American conference in Buenos Aires. One of the items at the conference was a "[[League of Nations]] of the Americas", an idea proposed by Colombia, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.<ref>Special to the New York Times. [https://www.nytimes.com/1936/04/13/archives/league-of-nations-in-americas-urged-by-3-latin-states-this-is-one.html?sq=League+of+nations+in+Americas&scp=1&st=p "League of Nations in Americas urged by 3 Latin states"], ''The New York Times''. 13 April 1936. p. 1.</ref> At the subsequent Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, 21 nations pledged to remain neutral in the event of a conflict between any two members.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1936/12/20/archives/americas-adopt-neutrality-pact-21-nations-pledge-a-joint-attitude.html "Americas adopt neutrality pact"], ''The New York Times''. 20 December 1936.</ref> The experience of [[World War II]] convinced hemispheric governments that unilateral action could not ensure the territorial integrity of the American nations in the event of external aggression. To meet the challenges of global conflict in the postwar world and to contain conflicts within the hemisphere, they adopted a system of [[collective security]], the [[Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance]] (Rio Treaty) signed in 1947 in [[Rio de Janeiro]].

The ninth [[International Conference of American States]] was held in [[Bogotá]] between March and May 1948 and led by [[United States Secretary of State]] [[George Marshall]], a meeting which led to a pledge by members to fight communism in the [[western hemisphere]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.britannica.com/topic/Organization-of-American-States |title=Organization of American States |website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref> This was the event that saw the birth of the OAS as it stands today, with the signature by 21 American countries of the [[Charter of the Organization of American States]] on 30 April 1948 (in effect since December 1951). The meeting also adopted the [[American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man]], the world's first general human rights instrument.

The transition from the Pan American Union to OAS would have been smooth if it had not been for the assassination of Colombian leader [[Jorge Eliécer Gaitán]]. The Director General of the Pan American Union, [[Alberto Lleras Camargo]], became the Organization's first [[Secretary General of the Organization of American States|Secretary General]]. 

===21st century===
[[File:Seal of the Organization of American States SVG.svg|thumb|alt=Emblem with the official name in English.|The OAS emblem with its official name in [[English language|English]]]]
The OAS conducted an audit of the [[2019 Bolivian general election]], which opposition supporters argued was fraudulent. The OAS report contended that the results were marred by "clear manipulation" and significant irregularities leading to the [[2019 Bolivian political crisis]]. Bolivian president [[Evo Morales]] resigned soon after, having lost the confidence of the country's military in what he described as a coup.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Faiola|first1=Anthony|last2=Krygier|first2=Rachelle|title=Bolivia's Morales resigns amid scathing election report, rising protests|language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/bolivia-to-hold-new-elections-after-protests-and-international-criticism/2019/11/10/4778e842-03b2-11ea-ac12-3325d49eacaa_story.html|access-date=18 March 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Some media outlets debated whether it should be referred to as a coup.<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 November 2019|title=AP Explains: Did a coup force Bolivia's Evo Morales out?|url=https://apnews.com/6b2c94306089451d9761878c9f7ce2f1|access-date=4 December 2019|website=[[Associated Press]]|quote=Whether the events Sunday in Bolivia constitute a coup d'état is now the subject of debate in and outside the nation. ... Bolivia's "coup" is largely a question of semantics}}</ref> On 21 December, the Technical Mission of Electoral Experts sent by the European Union published a 67-page report which made similar observations and conclusions to that of the OAS. They noted that "there were minutes with an unusually high number of null votes, blank votes and a hundred percent participation of voters in a series of polling stations" and highlighted the general failure of the TSE to declare these irregularities.<ref name="eu1">{{cite web|title=Unión Europea Misiónde Expertos Electorales Bolivia 2019 Informe Final|url=https://www.uetrabajandojuntos.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/EU-EEM-BOL-2019-FR-ES.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706084129/https://www.uetrabajandojuntos.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/EU-EEM-BOL-2019-FR-ES.pdf|archive-date=6 July 2020|access-date=15 October 2020|publisher=European Union in Bolivia|url-status=usurped|language=es}}</ref><ref name="eu2">{{cite news|date=21 December 2019|title=Informe de la UE detectó "numerosos errores" en elecciones de Bolivia {{!}} Voice of America - Spanish|language=es|work=www.voanoticias.com|publisher=Voice of America Spanish|url=https://www.voanoticias.com/a/union-europea-detecto-errores-irregularidades-elecciones-bolivia/5215093.html|access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref> Studies commissioned by the American [[left-leaning]]<ref name="The Perils Of Petrocracy">{{cite news|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Tina|date=4 November 2007|title=The Perils Of Petrocracy|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/magazine/04oil-t.html?pagewanted=7|access-date=5 October 2014|quote=… Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a left-wing Washington policy group.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sussman|first1=Anna Louie|date=7 September 2015|title=Are Women the New Face of Organized Labor?|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/09/07/are-women-the-new-face-of-organized-labor/|access-date=20 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="nbcnews.com">{{cite news|last1=Fox|first1=Maggie|date=24 July 2013|title=Obamacare won't slash workers' hours, report finds|agency=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/obamacare-wont-slash-workers-hours-report-finds-f6C10732487|access-date=31 October 2014}}</ref> think tank [[Center for Economic and Policy Research|CEPR]] argued that the OAS report's statistical analysis was inaccurate and unreliable.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 October 2020|title=Data from Bolivia's Election Add More Evidence That OAS Fabricated Last Year's Fraud Claims|url=https://www.cepr.net/data-from-bolivias-election-add-more-evidence-that-oas-fabricated-last-years-fraud-claims/ |first1=Jake |last1=Johnston |website=Center for Economic and Policy Research |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025083030/https://cepr.net/data-from-bolivias-election-add-more-evidence-that-oas-fabricated-last-years-fraud-claims/ |archive-date=Oct 25, 2023 }}</ref> The author of the OAS's vote return analysis stated that the CEPR's explanation of the results was implausible.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Nooruddin|first=Irfan|title=Analysis {{!}} Yes, Bolivia's 2019 election was problematic. Here's why. |date=March 10, 2020 |language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/10/yes-bolivias-2019-election-was-problematic-heres-why/|access-date=18 March 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The organization has been criticized by Mexico<ref>{{cite news|last1=Garcia|first1=David Alire|author-link1=|last2=|first2=|author-link2=|last3=|first3=|author-link3=|date=17 March 2021|title=Mexico to OAS: Stop interfering in Bolivia's internal affairs|publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]]|work=Associated Press|department=|publication-date=17 March 2021|editor1-last=Esposito|editor1-first=Anthony|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-oas-stop-interfering-internal-affairs-bolivia-2021-03-17/|url-access=|access-date=14 February 2022|quote=}}</ref> and the CEPR<ref>{{cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Jack R.|last2=Curiel|first2=John|date=|year=|orig-date=|editor-first=|title=Analysis of the 2019 Bolivia Election|url=https://jackrw.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Bolivia_report-short.pdf|url-access=|access-date=14 February 2022|publisher=[[Center for Economic and Policy Research]] (CEPR)|quote=}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=February 2022}} for their perception of interference into the internal affairs of Bolivia.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hetland|first1=Gabriel|author-link1=|last2=|first2=|author-link2=|date=7 March 2020|title=Opinion: The OAS helped undermine, not restore, democracy in Bolivia|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|department=|publication-date=7 March 2020|editor1-last=|editor1-first=|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/07/oas-helped-undermine-not-restore-democracy-bolivia/|url-access=|access-date=14 February 2022|quote=|editor3-link=|editor3-first=|editor3-last=|editor2-link=|editor2-first=|editor1-link=|editor2-last=}}</ref> The OAS observed the subsequent [[2020 Bolivian general election]] stating there was no evidence of fraud.<ref name="nofraude">{{cite web|last=Tancara Castillo|first=Cándido|date=23 October 2020|title=ONU, OEA y Uniore descartan fraude en elecciones generales|url=https://www.paginasiete.bo/nacional/2020/10/23/onu-oea-uniore-descartan-fraude-en-elecciones-generales-272528.html|website=Pagina Siete|language=es|access-date=8 June 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225506/https://www.paginasiete.bo/nacional/2020/10/23/onu-oea-uniore-descartan-fraude-en-elecciones-generales-272528.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' concluded that there was some fraud, but that it was unclear how much or if it was sufficient to change the result of the election, and suggested the initial analysis by the OAS was flawed.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kurmanaev|first=Anatoly|date=7 June 2020|title=A Bitter Election. Accusations of Fraud. And Now Second Thoughts.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/world/americas/bolivia-election-evo-morales.html/|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

In November 2021, OAS condemned the outcome of the [[2021 Nicaraguan general election|Nicaraguan general election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/oas-members-condemn-nicaragua-elections-urge-action-2021-11-13/ |title=OAS members condemn Nicaragua elections, urge action |publisher=Reuters |date=13 November 2021 }}</ref> In April 2022, Nicaragua reported the completion of its withdrawal process from the OAS initiated in November 2021. The OAS stated that, due to the terms of treaty, the withdrawal would not take effect until 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20220425-nicaragua-says-it-has-withdrawn-from-pan-american-region-bloc-sparking-protest|website=[[france24.com]]|date=25 April 2022|title=Nicaragua announces withdrawal from Organization of American States despite bloc's objections}}</ref> The move was completed on 19 November that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.laprensalatina.com/the-history-behind-nicaraguas-exit-from-the-oas/ |title=The history behind Nicaragua's exit from the OAS |publisher=La Prensa Latina |date=18 November 2023 |access-date=19 November 2023 |archive-date=19 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119143325/https://www.laprensalatina.com/the-history-behind-nicaraguas-exit-from-the-oas/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Milestones ===
Significant milestones in the history of the OAS since the signing of the Charter have included the following:
*1959: [[Inter-American Commission on Human Rights]] created.
*1959: [[Inter-American Development Bank]] created.
*1960: First application of the [[Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance]] against the regime of [[Rafael Trujillo]] in the [[Dominican Republic]]
*1961: Charter of Punta del Este signed, launching the [[Alliance for Progress]].
*1962: OAS suspends [[Cuba]].
*1969: [[American Convention on Human Rights]] signed (in force since 1978).
*1970: [[General Assembly of the Organization of American States|OAS General Assembly]] established as the Organization's supreme decision-making body.
*1979: [[Inter-American Court of Human Rights]] created.
*1991: Adoption of Resolution 1080, which requires the Secretary General to convene the [[Permanent Council of the Organization of American States|Permanent Council]] within ten days of a [[coup d'état]] in any member country.
*1994: First [[Summit of the Americas]] ([[Miami]]), which resolved to establish a [[Free Trade Area of the Americas]] by 2005.
*2001: [[Inter-American Democratic Charter]] adopted.
*2009: OAS revokes 1962 suspension of [[Cuba]].
*2009: OAS suspends Honduras due to the [[2009 Honduran coup d'état|coup]] which ousted president [[Manuel Zelaya]].
*2011: OAS lifts the suspension of Honduras with the return of Manuel Zelaya from exile.
*2017: [[Venezuela]] announces it would begin the process to leave the OAS, accusing the organization of interference in [[Crisis in Bolivarian Venezuela|Venezuela's political crisis]].
*2019: During the [[Venezuelan presidential crisis]], the [[President of the National Assembly of Venezuela|President of the National Assembly]] [[Juan Guaidó]], recognized by the [[National Assembly (Venezuela)|National Assembly]] as the acting president, expressed his desire for Venezuela to remain a member of the OAS.<ref name="VZWD" /> the OAS voted to recognize [[Gustavo Tarre Briceño]] as Venezuela's delegate in April, the National Assembly's representative to the OAS.<ref name="VZSE" /><ref name="VZGD" /><ref name=":3" />
*2020: OAS concluded that the [[2019 Bolivian general election]] was fraudulent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/world/americas/bolivia-election-evo-morales.html/|title=A Bitter Election. Accusations of Fraud. And Now Second Thoughts.|first=Anatoly |last=Kurmanaev|date=7 June 2020|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2020/06/08/the-nyt-admits-key-falsehoods-that-drove-last-years-coup-in-bolivia-falsehoods-peddled-by-the-u-s-its-media-and-the-nyt/|title=The New York Times Admits Key Falsehoods That Drove Last Year's Coup in Bolivia: Falsehoods Peddled by the U.S., Its Media, and the Times|first=Glenn |last=Greenwald|date=8 June 2020|work=The Intercept}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=David|last=Resnick|date=5 September 2020|title=The OAS Accusation of Electoral Fraud Against Evo Morales is Bullshit — And Now We Have the Data to Prove It|url=https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/09/oas-evo-morales-bolivia-coup-fraud-cepr|work=Jacobin}}</ref>
*2021: [[Nicaragua]] submitted a formal request to leave the OAS, following condemnation from the OAS General Assembly of Foreign Ministers of the outcome of the [[2021 Nicaraguan general election|2021 election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/nicaragua-decides-to-leave-oas-after-election-criticism/a-59884427 |title=Nicaragua decides to leave OAS |publisher=DW |date=19 November 2021 }}</ref>
*2023: Nicaragua completed its withdrawal from the OAS.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.laprensani.com/2023/11/19/politica/3239520-a-partir-de-este-domingo-nicaragua-esta-oficialmente-fuera-de-la-oea |title=A partir de este domingo Nicaragua está oficialmente fuera de la OEA |publisher=La Prensa |language=es |date=19 November 2023 }}</ref>