The OAS’s Role in Current Geopolitical Tensions in the Americas

By Lola McEwen – Rise to Peace Fellow

The United States of America carried out a mission in Venezuela on
January 3, 2026, that resulted in the capture of then Venezuelan president
Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to face charges of drug trafficking.
Maduro has been on the United States radar for several years, beginning in 2020
during President Donald Trump’s first term where Maduro was indicted by the
United States Justice Department for narco-terrorism and cocaine-trafficking
conspiracy. Since then, Maduro has been the face of many scandals and
backlash in Venezuela, including being accused of committing fraud to win the
2024 presidential election against Edmundo González, who was forced to flee to
Spain following the aftermath of Maduro’s reelection. In a show of bi-partisan
agreement, the Biden Administration recognized González as the true winner of
the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, further complicating Venezuela’s
reputation to outsiders. While many countries have expressed their negative
opinions on Maduro and his legitimacy as the true leader of Venezuela, prior to
his extradition to the United States, it brings up many troubling questions about
U.S. power against other nations. Should United States law apply in this
scenario, or international law? It also brings up the question, how exactly did the United States build up its credibility to be able to complete a mission such as this without extreme backlash?

Future of South American Farmers a Cause for Concern

With South America already in turmoil, this mission was the tipping point of
the modern war on drugs, increasing tensions between many South American
countries governments and cartels running in their own countries, with their
citizens in the crossfire. With Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the head of
U.S. diplomatic relations in South America after a recent meeting with President
Donald Trump, succeeding to Trump’s wishes to reduce cocaine trafficking into
the United States, South America has become an extremely dangerous
geopolitical field. Not only Colombian and Venezuelan citizens have been
affected by these actions, but also Bolivian citizens, with the World Health
Organization (WHO) agreeing with the Trump Administration’s beliefs on the
negative impacts of cocaine, while the Bolivian people have used the coca plant
for centuries as a significant part of their culture. Bolivian natives are now
concerned that the plant their ancestors have used for generations without issues
will be destroyed, in addition to their farmers already being forced into an illegal
cocaine market to simply provide for their families. This calls for concern that
international organizations may be conducting policies in line with the United
States without considering the consequences for the rest of the countries in north
and South America.

Controversy for the OAS

Not only has the United States taken significant action against drug
trafficking on the sea, but also on land, with President Petro of Colombia
agreeing to revive the mission to eradicate the coca plant by spraying it with
glyphosate, a chemical linked to cancer in humans. With diplomatic odds
worsening in South America, the public discrediting of the Organization of
American States (OAS) has only soured the state of the Americas. Since its
establishment in Bogotá in 1948, OAS has not been known to do what it pledged
to upon its inception, to promote peace and security in the continent, in fact, they
have been a part of some recent scandals that suggest quite the opposite.
During the 2019 Bolivian presidential election, OAS accused President Evo
Morales of committing voter fraud, who also happened to previously be a coca
farmer before his presidency. This resulted in outrage against OAS, which has
been called out for seemingly backing U.S. policy over all other matters. Morales
was a significant known supporter of coca production, including being a former
union leader of coca farmers in Bolivia. Morales passed multiple bills
encouraging farmers to continue and even expand their cultivation of coca plants,
going against the United Nation’s (UN) wishes and even going as far as to ask
the UN to make it legal again back in 2017.

OAS has been called out for seemingly right-winged ideologies when the
organization is supposed to judge fairly and objectively. While OAS came out and
said that they found no evidence of fraud following the election, this action still
resulted in a coup d’état causing President Morales to resign after violent
protests in Bolivia over the claims of election fraud. OAS claimed to audit the
election results in which they found evidence of “a massive and unexplainable
surge in the final 5 percent of the vote count”. OAS Secretary General Luis
Almagro even went as far as supporting the Bolivian army in their decision to
recommend Morales and his staff to resign in order to put a stop to the protests.
A research study by David Rosnick of the Center for Economic and Policy
Research (CEPR) showed that the OAS had made several errors in their data
collection of the alleged voter fraud, including incorrectly sorting time stamps and
neglecting that the jump in votes towards Morales was simply a matter of
geographical area being counted all at once, in which that area favored
Morales. In even more shocking evidence against OAS, Bolivia is not an
isolated event, simply the most recent. OAS’s claims for voter fraud in
presidential elections originally begin back in 2000 in Haiti also causing much
hardship, leading up to Juan Gabriel Valdés, the former head of the UN in Haiti,
claiming that the OAS’s decision to intervene in the 2010 Haiti election, claiming
faulty statistical methods, caused “the origin of the present tragedy” in the
country.

The OAS was regarded as no longer a credible observer of democracy in
the Americas under the leadership of Luis Almagro. The Guardian stated that
three capacities are needed from the OAS, or a potential new organization, to
bridge the gap between countries. First, the organization would need to organize
delegations where democratic institutions are clearly under threat. Second,
and most relevant, would be to launch investigations into unlawful interventions
of the democratic process. The weaponization of the judicial system to intimidate,
exclude, and incarcerate political opponents has been a main focus of this article,
and a main issue in South America. Lastly, communication is key, especially with
rising technological advances spreading bias wide and quickly.

OAS Under New Leadership

Almagro left office on May 26th of 2025, being replaced by current
Secretary General of OAS Albert Ramdin, a Surinamese diplomat and foreign
minister who speaks English and Spanish in addition to his native language
Dutch. Not only does Ramdin have extensive background in diplomacy, he
has previously worked for OAS in supporting democracy, peace, and
development in Haiti. As previously stated in this article, Haiti was joined by
Bolivia in allegations of voter fraud, causing much turmoil within these states,
directly linked to the OAS. Ramdin became the sole candidate to replace
Almagro after Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay pledged support to
him, being closely followed by the support of Costa Rica, The Dominican
Republic, and Ecuador. His original opponent in the race, Foreign Minister
Rubén Dario Ramírez Lezcano of Paraguay was not supported by any, however
he was viewed as an ally for the United States.

Ramdin initially faced accusations that China would take a role in the OAS
with Suriname having a history of connections with the country. However, special
envoy to Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone from the United States supported
Ramdin and Suriname calling Suriname a “pro-american country…”. On
January 6th of 2026, Ramdin made a speech following the events in Venezuela
reminding member states what their obligation is, reaffirming unity within the
region while also acknowledging that diversity of opinions exists, and that they
can co-exist while sharing the responsibility to preserve peace and stability in the
Hemisphere. Ramdin clearly expresses his opinions that he wants to lead the
OAS to neutrality among states, “…fully respecting the principles of sovereignty,

non-intervention, and constitutional order.” These beliefs are a main factor in why
Ramdin was chosen by several member states to represent the OAS, with the
many voter fraud allegations against the OAS in the past further charging
tensions with member states. Ramdin demanded the continuation of states to
express their opinions and a continued willingness to engage in topics of
conversations with fellow members even though they may not always agree.
While tensions in Venezuela from the recent United States mission to extradite
Maduro have resulted in distrust between many countries and the United States,
Ramdin expressed the importance to focus on the Venezuelan people, and the
humanitarian crisis there, as well as upholding principles of international law.

What International Laws Come Into Play?

Venezuela has been a hot topic in international law following the
extradition of Maduro to the United States of America. Specifically under Article
2(4) of the UN Charter which states that, “All Members shall refrain in their
international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial
integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner
inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations”. The OAS also under
rule of law for member states in Article 21 of the OAS Charter says, “The territory
of a State is inviolable; it may not be the object, even temporarily, of military
occupation or of other measures of force taken by another State, directly or
indirectly, on any grounds whatsoever. No territorial acquisitions or special
advantages obtained either by force or by other means of coercion shall be
recognized”. While arguments continue whether the United States violated the
laws, evidence pointing towards the affirmative, further issues arise not simply
involving abiding by international law for the U.S., but also what this means for
other countries and whether they will be encouraged to test the waters to see
how much rule-breaking they can get away with. We have already seen countries
push the limits including the Russia-Ukraine war, it is only a matter of time before
we see another violation of international law, eyes currently on China and
Taiwan.

Where Does This Lead Us?

With Ramdin as the new head of the OAS, with experience in dealing with
China as previously stated from Suriname’s connection, there is cause for hope
that the OAS can rebuild its reputation and prevent further violations of
international law through what the organization was made for, diplomacy. While
the OAS faces many scandals to rebuild from, under new leadership I do not find
it entirely unreasonable to believe that the hemisphere can recover from recent
events and reestablish law and security norms in the region. With recent United
States domination over the OAS, Ramdin’s leadership style uniting many other
countries in the OAS may prove beneficial for the return of stability and neutrality
to the OAS. While Venezuela’s unstable future is still cause for much concern,
the OAS’s new leadership may lead to stronger support for Venezuelan citizens
in these uncertain times and return the country to democratic normality. It is
important to note that Venezuelan citizens have gone through much turmoil with
the previous administration, however it still did not constitute the United States
mission under international law.

While the mission from the United States had positives, this still brings to attention the alleged overreach of the United States in many previous instances including allegations that the OAS previously acted to
appease the United States policies. Maduro’s removal may have been ultimately
necessary for peace in the region. It is still yet to be seen as we watch Ramdin in
his new leadership of the OAS, and if this polarized geopolitical tension between
member states can be resolved through diplomacy.

References

[1] BBC News. (2017, March 9). Bolivia’s Morales boosts legal coca production. BBC News.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39214085
[2] Center for Economic and Policy Research, Rodríguez, F. R., & Johnston, J. (2022, August
23). OAS Continues to Dodge Accountability for Actions in the 2019 Bolivian Election.
https://cepr.net/publications/oas-continues-to-dodge-accountability-for-actions-in-the-201
9-bolivian-election/
[3] CHARTER OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES. (n.d.). Charter of the OAS.
Retrieved February 21, 2026, from
https://www.cidh.oas.org/basicos/english/basic22.charter%20oas.htm
[4] CNN & Brocchetto, M. (2012, March 13). Bolivia’s Morales to UN: Legalize coca-leaf
chewing. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2012/03/13/world/americas/bolivia-morales-coca
[5] Farthing, L. (2026, February 10). ‘Coca leaf is life itself’: Andean growers’ hopes fade as
WHO upholds global curb. The Guardian. Retrieved February 17, 2026, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/feb/10/coca-leaf-cocaine-bolivia-colombia-sacred-indigenous-un-ban-us

[6] Glatsky, G. (2026, January 7). A Timeline of Tension Between the U.S. and Venezuela. The
New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2026, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/world/americas/us-venezuela-tensions-timeline.htm
l

[7] The Guardian, Adler, D., & Long, G. (2021, November 15). We need a new observatory of
democracy in the Americas. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/15/organization-of-american-state
s-democracy-observatory
[8] OAS. (2026, January 6). “Speech by OAS Secretary General, Albert R. Ramdin, during the
Special Meeting of the Permanent Council to consider recent events in the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela”.
https://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-0002/26
[9] Robertson, K. (2025, March 11). A New Leader at the Organization of American States:
Suriname’s Albert Ramdin. AS/COA.
https://www.as-coa.org/articles/new-leader-organization-american-states-surinames-albe
rt-ramdin
[10] United Nations Charter (full text) | United Nations. (n.d.). the United Nations. Retrieved
February 20, 2026, from https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text