Regional Body for Americas at Center of Venezuela Showdown
Regional Body for Americas at Center of Venezuela Showdown
COA’s Eric Farnsworth comments on a potential multilateral solution to mitigate the current political turmoil in Venezuela.
The Organization of American States was the stage for a political showdown Friday when a Venezuelan opposition leader attempted to formally address the hemisphere's top regional body to discuss alleged human-rights abuses by the Venezuelan government against a six-week-old protest movement.
In an unusual move, Maria Corina Machado, an opposition lawmaker whom the Venezuelan government is trying to put in prison, was made a temporary member of Panama's delegation to have access to the organization, which so far has largely failed to act on, or even publicly debate, the continuing crisis in Venezuela.
Her appearance was strongly objected to by a majority of OAS members, many of whom are allies or clients of the oil-rich Venezuela....
Some analysts believe that Venezuela's government would use a stronger U.S. presence in the OAS to stoke anti-American sentiment. Others say that such a U.S. presence is much needed.
"It's great that Panama is leading, but the U.S. leading versus Panama leading is very different," said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas in Washington.
Many analysts say part of the responsibility for the OAS's paralysis lies with Secretary-general José Miguel Insulza, a Chilean diplomat. Mr. Insulza has publicly taken a hands-off attitude toward Venezuela. In a recent interview with Chile's El Mercurio newspaper, he said that the OAS would never "intervene" in Venezuela while he was secretary-general....
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