ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses the diminishment of U.S. influence within the Organization of American States (OAS), coinciding with the onset of the twenty-first century and George W. Bush’s election to the U.S. presidency. In particular, it focuses on the 2005 election of a new OAS Secretary General, the 2009 coup in Honduras, and the inability to redress the collapse of representative democracy in Venezuela, as well as the explicit rejection of U.S. anti-narcotics and Cuba policy. The chapter concludes with an examination of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as well as the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), and asks whether they offer viable alternatives to the OAS.
