Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance of Rio de Janeiro (1947) »
Jean-Michel Arrighi
1 Since its origins, dating back to the end of the 19th century, the inter-American system has gradually consolidated a set of ground rules. In particular, resolutions and agreements established the principle of solidarity (Solidarity, Principle of) among American States vis-à-vis external threats and threats to peace in the region (Peace, Threat to); the obligation to seek peaceful settlement of international disputes, culminating in the adoption of the American Treaty on Pacific Settlement (Bogotá Pact [1948]) and its prohibition of the use of force (Use of...
Organization of American States (OAS) »
Jean-Michel Arrighi
1The Organization of American States (‘OAS’) is an international organization established in 1948 to achieve among its Member States, as Art. 1 Charter of the OAS indicates, ‘an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence’ (Territorial Integrity and Political Independence). Today it comprises the 35 independent States of the Americas and constitutes the principal political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the hemisphere...
Part III The Prohibition of the Use of Force, Self-Defence, and Other Concepts, Ch.23 The Prohibition of the Use of Force and Non-Intervention: Ambition and Practice in the Oas Region »
Jean-Michel Arrighi
From: The Oxford Handbook of the Use of Force in International Law
Edited By: Marc Weller
This chapter examines the principles governing relations among member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) as embodied in the OAS Charter, including reciprocal assistance, collective self-defence and defence of democracy, abstention from the use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, and non-intervention in the affairs of another member state. It begins by looking at the history of disputes in the Americas, including those arising from border delimitation and demarcation issues, and early efforts to address them. It then discusses the adoption of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance in 1947 and the establishment of the OAS, together with the adoption of the American Treaty on Pacific Settlement (‘Pact of Bogota’), in 1948. The chapter considers a number of cases in which the provisions embodied in the OAS Charter, particularly the use of force in dispute settlement, were applied.
