I'm John Batchel with the New World Report, thanks to Professor Evan Ellis of the U.S. Army War College,

just back from Mexico City.

However, we turn our attention to something that Evans brought my attention to.

The Organization of American States, which was very large and prominent, the beginning of the 20th century,

is not much in the news these days, but there is a new leader, Alberto Ramchan Ramdin, from Surin.

He's a veteran of the OAS, in addition to the Caribbean community, where he served both organizations

over the last 25 years. He's 67 years old,

and Evan has met him and says that this is a first-rate politician and diplomat, in addition to

being on the routine left of the equation in Latin America. But, Professor, you're encouraged by Ram Dean's nomination to be head of the OAS.

Why?

The OAS plays a much more important role than is often acknowledged

because it goes far beyond diplomacy.

It goes to various instruments of the Inter-American System. It goes to the Panaman

Health Organization. It goes to security cooperation organizations. And so beyond the issue of

votes on one policy or another, what happens in the OAS is important in protecting U.S. interest.

And indeed, one of the concerns right now is that part of the change in U.S. interest. And indeed, one of the concerns right now is that

part of the change in U.S. policy has been arguably a move away from support to some of those

institutions. Now, in that context, during the past really decade, we had a benefit that a once

left a center politician, but one who turned out to be, you know,

very accommodating of the U.S., Luis Alamagro, headed the OAS, and thus gave it a certain flavor that,

you know, aided in the U.S. pushback against Latin American dictatorships, such as that in

Nicaragua with the Ortegas and certainly in Venezuela. And so what we're seeing really now

...