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Records of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs,
1975-2002
M1354
M1354
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Table of contents
Title: Council on Hemispheric Affairs records
Collection number: M1354
Repository:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Language of Material:
English
Collection size:
221.5 Linear feet
443 manuscript boxes
Dates: circa 1975-2002
Physical Location: Special Collections materials are stored offsite and must be paged 36 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections,
see the department's website: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html.
Abstract: The papers feature the materials related to the political, economical, and social development of Latin American region in
the last quarter of the 20th century, its relationships with the U.S. and the nearby countries. The collection includes clippings,
leaflets, various publications, newsletters, reports, correspondence, press releases, etc.)
Creator:
Council on Hemispheric Affairs.
This collection was given by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs to Stanford University, Special Collections in October 2002.
Unprocessed; but open for research.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
[identification of item], Council on Hemispheric Affairs, M1354. Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries,
Stanford, Calif.
Founded in 1975, the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), a nonprofit, tax-exempt independent research and information organization,
was established to promote the common interests of the hemisphere, raise the visibility of regional affairs and increase the
importance of the inter-American relationship, as well as encourage the formulation of rational and constructive U.S. policies
towards Latin America. In 1982, COHA’s board of trustees voted to expand its mandate to include monitoring Canadian/Latin
American relations. Since its inception, COHA has been one of the most active and broadest-based U.S. private bodies dealing
with the entire spectrum of political, economic and diplomatic issues, as well as responding to the economic and political
challenges confronting the nations of this hemisphere. From its beginnings, COHA’s board consisted of the leadership of trade
unions, professional organizations and religious groups, as well as civic and academic figures, who joined together to advance
their common belief in support of representative government and pluralistic institutions throughout the hemisphere.
In recent years, COHA has directed a good deal of its research energies to such issues as unproductive U.S. pressure on President
Aristide which eventually led to his ouster and Washington’s replacement with a hapless interim regime. COHA also has condemned
Washington’s unexamined and reflexive policy towards Cuba and Venezuela, and the negative impact of neo-liberal reforms on
the average Latin American. COHA was opposed to the adherence of the U.S. to NAFTA under the thesis that it shouldn’t have
been initiated until basic Mexican institutions were truly democratic, its trade unions free enough to negotiate as equals,
and the government purged of endemic corruption. COHA also is a critic of the indiscriminate application of structural adjustment
formulas that end up negatively affecting the poorest stratum of Latin America’s population.
COHA is staffed by a small professional core, who contributes their services to the organization, supplemented by a large
number of volunteer graduate and undergraduate students who often receive academic credit from their home institutions for
the experience gained through their work with it. Over the years, retired government employees also have cooperated with COHA
in preparing monographs on such topics as regional development, trade policies, and the controversial development strategies
of the international lending agencies. The staff is assisted by a number of COHA senior research fellows from the United States,
Latin America and elsewhere, who are generally considered to be leaders in their respective fields of expertise. It has been
described on the Senate floor as “one of our nation’s most respected bodies of scholars and policymakers.”
from the Council on Hemispheric Affairs website.
Collection was listed at the container level.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Latin America--Foreign relations--United States.
United States--Foreign relations--Latin America
United States--Foreign relations.