A Tale of Two Mesas: The OAS Defense of Democracy in Peru and Venezuela (Organization of American States)
By Global Governance
- Release Date: 2005-10-01
- Genre: Politics & Current Events
Description
In recent years, the Organization of American States has charted new terrain in the defense and promotion of democracy. Most significantly, it intervened in Peru (2000) and in Venezuela (2002-2004). The centerpiece of both initiatives was the establishment of a mesa, an OAS-facilitated intra-elite dialogue roundtable. In examining this "tale of two mesas," we trace three components of this approach: the actors at the table, the agendas, and the achievements. Although significant differences between the two processes make it difficult to articulate a single, coherent model, both the Peruvian and Venezuelan mesas exemplify a new mode of multilateral intervention--"intervention without intervening." Though this approach has limitations, it may have some potential for application beyond our two case studies. KEYWORDS: OAS, multilateralism, democracy, intervention, dialogue roundtables. **********
