DOI: 10.7256/2454-0641.2017.3.24262

Abstract: The Organization of American States has for a long time been the primary mechanism of promoting cooperation in the Inter-American format. Being formed during the Cold War, this organization, which had originally aimed at establishing productive and effective relations between the countries of the region, was to a certain degree altered by the spirit of that time. With the end of the bipolar standoff between the major super-powers, the OAS, being primarily a mechanism for promoting the US political interests, was no longer necessary in its form at the time, which caused the organization to undergo certain profound changes. Along with the attempts of the OAS to adapt to the changes in the hemispheric politics, smaller Latin American organizations appeared trying to adopt some of its authorities. This process of regionalization is especially true in relation to the maintenance of hemispheric security. The article is trying to critically assess the possibilities of smaller sub-regional structures to effectively substitute the mechanisms of the future place of the OAS in the structure of the hemispheric security, which becomes even more important in the context of the contemporary U.S. administration, famous for its critical position towards the potential of Latin American political direction.