Venezuela's Ongoing Crisis And The OAS's Opportunity To Create A Turning Point In Latin America

Late last week, the Organization of American States (OAS), which had long remained silent in the face of the steady encroachment of the Venezuelan state on the liberties of the Venezuelan people and the destabilizing influence of the Venezuelan government on the region as a whole, announced that it will finally hold a special meeting to consider the situation in Venezuela at the request of 18 member states, which meeting is scheduled for this afternoon. Luis Almagro, the OAS Secretary General, announced that, if diplomatic action fails to cause the Venezuelan government to make significant moves to affirm the constitution and its commitment to representative government, Venezuela's membership in the organization could be suspended. Venezuela's membership in the MERCOSUR trading bloc of Latin American nations was suspended in December for the same reason. More…