Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance

The 1947 Rio Treaty commits its American signatories to consult and respond collectively to specified attacks and threats in the Americas. It established a regional framework for collective security.

Collective security: A system in which states treat threats to one member as concerns requiring a shared response. The treaty applies this principle to attacks and threats in the Americas.
Pan-Americanism: A political movement promoting cooperation and solidarity among the countries of the Americas. Its regional solidarity provided the treaty’s political foundation.
Cuban Missile Crisis: A 1962 confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles stationed in Cuba. The OAS invoked the treaty framework to support measures against Cuba.
Charter of the Organization of American States: The founding treaty of the Organization of American States, adopted in 1948. It provides the broader institutional framework surrounding the Rio Treaty.
Article 3 of the Rio Treaty: The Rio Treaty provision stating that an armed attack against an American state is an attack against all signatories. It supplies the treaty’s central collective-defense commitment.
Act of Chapultepec: A 1945 agreement by American states endorsing collective action against aggression in the hemisphere. It anticipated the Rio Treaty’s binding defense commitments.
Falklands War: A 1982 war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, called the Malvinas by Argentina. The conflict exposed the limits of Argentine expectations of treaty solidarity.
Charter of the United Nations: The 1945 treaty establishing the United Nations and setting rules for international peace and security. The Rio Treaty operates within the UN Charter’s rules on regional arrangements and self-defense.
Article 6 of the Rio Treaty: The Rio Treaty provision allowing consultation over aggression or other threats to peace in the Americas. It extends consultation beyond armed attacks covered by Article 3.
Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Continental Peace and Security: The 1947 conference in Rio de Janeiro at which American states negotiated and signed the Rio Treaty. Delegates produced the treaty at this gathering.

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