Counter-Terrorism Resolutions and Initiatives by Regional Institutions

Abstract

The Organization of American States (OAS) comprises all 35 independent countries in the Western Hemisphere from Canada to Chile, including the independent islands of the Caribbean. The Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights are the two OAS organs created to deal with human rights in the region and in the discussion of international human rights law; the Commission is often overlooked in favor of an examination and analysis of the Inter-American Court’s jurisprudence. The Commission, however, has the overarching responsibility for the monitoring of human rights in the hemisphere and consequently has a wider mandate than the Court, the principal function of which is the application and interpretation of the American Convention on Human Rights.

In discussing the work of the OAS as regards counter-terrorism, it is also important to look at the work of specific bodies created to deal specifically with the issue of counter-terrorism such as the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism, although this body has little contact with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The Commission, for its part, has a long history in conducting on-site visits to countries that were engaged in internal armed conflicts, often against military dictatorships, where terrorism was employed to undermine the State and where the State engaged in acts of counter-terrorism. This chapter will consider examples of the Commission’s on-site visits and country reports to illustrate the changing nature of terrorism and counter-terrorism in the region.