The United States has issued a forceful call for the Organization of American States (OAS) to prove its continued relevance by taking decisive action on crises in Venezuela and Haiti, with Deputy Secretary of State Daniel Landau warning that Washington’s membership in the body is under review.
Addressing regional leaders during the OAS General Assembly in Antigua and Barbuda, Landau said the United States, under the direction of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump, is assessing whether membership in the hemispheric body remains in its national interest.
“Can we really say that the organization is succeeding in its goals today?” Landau asked, referencing Article I of the OAS Charter which affirms the organisation’s purpose of defending peace, sovereignty, and justice across the hemisphere.
He pointed to what he described as the OAS’s inadequate response to two of the region’s most pressing crises: Venezuela’s continued political repression and electoral fraud, and Haiti’s descent into violent lawlessness.
On Venezuela, Landau said the OAS had failed to act meaningfully after what he called “a brazenly stolen election” and an illegitimate vote to claim Guyana’s Essequibo region. He argued that the Nicolás Maduro regime had reduced a once prosperous country to “abject poverty” and forced millions to flee.
“If this organization is unwilling or unable to respond to or remedy this situation… then we must ask what’s the point of the organization,” Landau stated.
The deputy secretary also voiced frustration over the OAS’s limited involvement in Haiti, where gang violence has destabilised the capital and crippled public order. While praising Caribbean and African nations supporting the Kenyan-led multinational security mission there, he made clear that the United States cannot indefinitely bear the brunt of the humanitarian and financial burden—now approaching US$1 billion.
Landau’s remarks included a strong appeal for solidarity with pro-democracy advocates, notably Rosa María Payá, a Cuban activist nominated by the US for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Describing her as a “principled advocate for democracy,” he urged member states to support her candidacy in upcoming elections.
Despite the stark warnings, Landau framed the speech as a gesture of partnership rather than condemnation.
“I’m here to extend a hand of friendship… But friendship is a two-way street,” he said, expressing hope that the OAS could work with the US to strengthen regional resilience and foster “jaguar economies” in the Western Hemisphere.
Landau, who grew up across the Americas and spoke warmly of the Caribbean’s historical ties to the US—including a personal reference to Alexander Hamilton’s Nevisian roots—said the region remains a key strategic priority for both himself and Secretary Rubio.
He concluded by challenging the OAS to reject authoritarianism and take measurable steps to defend democracy and human rights.
“This is not a time for mere words and slogans,” he said. “Let’s stand with the people of Venezuela and Haiti not just in word but in deed.”
The high-stakes address comes amid growing scrutiny of multilateral bodies by the US administration and could set the tone for further policy shifts in Washington’s engagement with the OAS in the coming months.