BY JOHN KERRY and ROBERT MENENDEZ
Last month, when even our key Latin American allies supported the creation of an alternative to the Organization of American States that included Cuba but excluded the United States and Canada, alarm bells went off in Washington -- and rightfully so.
This was not your traditional statement of frustration with U.S. policy, but rather an indictment of the OAS -- the institution charged with helping all countries in the hemisphere speak with a unified voice.
We agree that the OAS is an embattled institution. It has had its wins and its share of losses -- as well as missed opportunities. However, as others have said about the United Nations, if it did not exist, it would have to be created. Our task is to make the OAS better, not irrelevant.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/17/1532935/make-the-oas-relevant.html#ixzz0iRET1sOv
