Encyclopedia of the Inter-American System

A reference guide to all the elements of the Inter-American System from its formal beginning in 1889 to the present, as it developed into a major, multipurpose regional inter-governmental organization (IGO). The most notable elements in the current Inter-American System are the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) Regime. Today, all 35 sovereign American states are members of the OAS. This book makes clear reference to the system's interrelationships with other IGOs and states outside the Western Hemisphere. Unique in its scope and approach to the subject, this work is intended to provide the reader with access to information on general as well as specific subjects. It is compiled with an interdisciplinary approach, and addressed to a variety of readers from students and scholars to professionals and government officials. With some 250 entries, cross-referenced and thoroughly indexed, this encyclopedia refers to membership and observers in the various organizational elements; policy orientations of the state members; treaties, conventions, protocols, declarations, and resolutions concluded over the years; concepts and doctrines underlying American regional organization; multinational principles and policies in major categories of activity; and cases of conflict and other situations undertaken by the system, including places, events, issues, and individuals notable for their contributions.

Table of Contents:
Preface Abbreviations Introduction The Encyclopedia Chronology Appendix A: Charter of the Organization of American States Appendix B: Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance Appendix C: Membership in the Inter-American System Appendix D: Changing Structure of the Organization of American States Appendix E: The Secretariat Appendix F: Inter-American Development Bank Appendix G: State Profiles Bibliographic Essay Index

About the Author :
G. POPE ATKINS is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Texas at Austin, and Professor Emeritus, U.S. Naval Academy. He has published extensively on Latin American, international, and comparative politics.

Review :
?Atkins' comprehensive encyclopedia describes the evolution of the Inter-American system, which today comprises the Organization of American States (35 American countries, including Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, and Surinam) and the Inter-American Development Bank (28 American countries and 16 nonregional countries)....this is the best reference source on the complex Inter-American system. It will be an asset in all academic libraries, especially those with an interest in Latin America.?-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin ?Reference works are often mechanical compilations of dry factual material. That is emphatically not the case with this superbly useful scholarly work. Atkins, long the ranking authority in study of the inter-American system...now has brought out yet another publication indispensable for all students of the topic and the area....The entries consistently reflect the highest scholarly standard...That this encyclopedia is entirely Atkins' work attests to his exceptional research, knowledge, judgment, and unalloyed professionalism.?-Choice "Atkins' comprehensive encyclopedia describes the evolution of the Inter-American system, which today comprises the Organization of American States (35 American countries, including Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, and Surinam) and the Inter-American Development Bank (28 American countries and 16 nonregional countries)....this is the best reference source on the complex Inter-American system. It will be an asset in all academic libraries, especially those with an interest in Latin America."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin "Reference works are often mechanical compilations of dry factual material. That is emphatically not the case with this superbly useful scholarly work. Atkins, long the ranking authority in study of the inter-American system...now has brought out yet another publication indispensable for all students of the topic and the area....The entries consistently reflect the highest scholarly standard...That this encyclopedia is entirely Atkins' work attests to his exceptional research, knowledge, judgment, and unalloyed professionalism."-Choice