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What Qualities Must a New OAS Secretary General Have?

Cindy Arnson

In this news publication for the Inter-American Dialogue, Cynthia Arnson shares her thoughts on the OAS Secretary General race.

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"Both Luis Almagro and Eduardo Stein bring excellent credentials to the race for secretary general. But the real issue is that the hemisphere is divided over the 'place' of the OAS among multilateral fora in the region. It has been decades since the United States, deep in the Cold War, dominated the organization to advance its strategic and geopolitical goals, with Latin American governments for the most part dutifully falling into line. But this caricature, along with the discourse of U.S. control, serves the interests of those most hostile to the OAS' democracy and human rights mandates—those in the ALBA bloc—who actively sought to gut the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in the name of reforming its mandate. Perhaps just as uninterested in a vigorous OAS is Brazil, which seeks to exercise leadership in South America through the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). Some in the U.S. Congress have also been less than helpful, using U.S. financial contributions unilaterally to leverage if not dictate reform. This has further undermined the one regional organization to which the United States still belongs. Much is needed to bolster the OAS' credibility. A new secretary general must 1) streamline the organization's strategic focus (the recent internal process that led to the articulation of 'four pillars' still contains dozens of mandates, not all of which are suited to the organization); 2) expand financial contributions beyond the four counties that currently contribute the lion's share of the budget; 3) reconcile the principle of non-intervention with the defense of the practice of democratic governance; and 4) streamline the OAS' administrative and management structure, putting efficiency and quality in the forefront of OAS operations. Current Secretary General José Miguel Insulza has frequently observed that the OAS reflects the interests of its member states. How many of them would tolerate a shake-up?"

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To read the full article, please view the PDF file attached to this post.  

About the Author

Cindy Arnson

Cynthia J. Arnson

Distinguished Fellow, Latin America Program
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Latin America Program

The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action.  Read more