The OAS is the Organization of American States: a group whose members include the United States, Canada, and most countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. It is a political club for the Americas, not a country and not an army. Its big aims are to keep peace in the region, to talk through fights between governments, and to help with things like elections, rights, and economic development. Headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Though actually it is much looser than the European Union — members keep their own money and laws — and it has had stormy years, including long fights over which governments count as members. Say the three letters, O-A-S. In English it almost always takes the: the OAS.