The Organization of American States and the Non-Aligned Movement in the Cold War

This article examines the interlinked trajectories of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organization of American States (OAS) during the Cold War, hypothesizing that increased disillusionment with US dominance of the OAS was one of the factors driving the growth of Latin American membership in the NAM. The article makes an initial attempt to view the histories of each organization alongside the other, while conceding the existence of other fundamental aspects of Latin American interest in non-alignment and association with the “Third World” political project. Nevertheless, the politicization of the OAS to achieve US foreign policy objectives in Latin America is put forward as one of the less studied influences shaping the development of the NAM.