Rl. Rosenberg, The OAS and the Summit of the Americas: Coexistence, or integration of forces for multilateralism?, LAT AM POLI, 43(1), 2001, pp. 79-101
Fifty years after the creation of the OAS. political power is not centraliz
ed in that organization but variously diffused throughout tile interamerica
n system. Meanwhile, the Summit of the Americas process has slowly acquired
its own institutionality outside the OAS, and is sometimes perceived as ch
allenging the primacy of the ideal of the OAS as the principal institution
of interamerican relations. Even with its own weaknesses, the Summit of the
Americas has become the most important force for reform of the OAS. As the
hemisphere prepares for the third full summit in Quebec, this essay assess
es the relationship of these two institutions and their future prospects.