Other than updating you all on my adventures here, which I promise I will do quite soon, I wanted this blog to be able to convey to friends and family in the USA certain aspects of Argentine culture that are perhaps still a mystery to most. For this entry, I've chosen to write about the Argentine armed forces and their lasting impression on the people of this great country.
For most of the last century, Argentina alternated between military and civilian governments. The military has always been an institutionally strong entity and has thus had the power to "relieve" any president of his post for any reason they chose. The periods of military government, however, never involved horrificly harsh repression until the early 1970s. A quick mini-history lesson before arriving at 1976.
Juan Peron was a populist president elected in early 1940s and who served for about ten years, if my memory serves me correctly. However, as the economy began to falter, the military staged a coup and allowed Peron to go into self imposed exile in Spain. For 18 years Peron lived in Spain, and in 1973 when absolutely nobody could save the country from economic and social unrest, they asked him to come back because they knew he was such a unifying figure. Who "they" are, well that's still a bit of a mystery and it might involve some research, but we'll say for now "they" are the powerful whos who in Argentine government. Well, Peron came back in either 72 or 73, ruled for a few months, then died. His third wife Isabela took over, but she did not have the capacity to govern a country so "threatened" (note quotation marks!) but communist infiltration. Let it be known that Jorge Videla did not start dissappearing people after he staged a coup d'etat in 76. My research for my paper last year indicated that the military, under Isabela Peron first began these covert operations in 1974 or '75.
Jorge R. Videla, along with several other heads of military, took over the government in 1976. They ruled until 1983. During this time the military was all powerful. They could take anyone they wanted for the smallest reason (long hair, dissent in school, even if they just didn't like their appearence!) and hold them without trial for as long as they pleased. Over 30,000 people were simply "dissappeared" during this time, many of whom were university students or professors.
Coming back to the present.... I live in a neighborhood with a huge military population. We are two blocks from the national military hospital, and the National School of War (think School of the Americas but in Argentina). And something eerie I just discovered last week... the biggest detention center used during the last military dictatorship, and by big I mean it is rumored to have dissappeared the most people by the most gruesome methods, is right down the street from me. Its called "La ESMA", which is an acronym for the National Naval Academy.
Argentines today are still very wary of anything or anyone associated with the military. While having a conversation with my host mother, Ines, she asked me what I wanted to do with my degree and I told her I was thinking about military law. She listened politely as I told her about my family's history in the military. Then after I was done, suggested to me that I not let it be openly known that I was from a military family and wanted to join because in many settings I would not receive the best of receptions.
The military and police forces today are still very present in Argentine society, although deprived of a lot of their institutional power. Cops are all around, on foot, on horseback, and in cars. All cops carry guns, and all guards I've seen to military institutions carry weapons that look larger than I am tall. The atrocities committed by the military in this country during the 70s and 80s are a very taboo subject, but a few very brave souls are beginning (almost thirty years later) to speak out about what happened to them inside the detention camps. Its a dark stain on this otherwise great country.
For most of the last century, Argentina alternated between military and civilian governments. The military has always been an institutionally strong entity and has thus had the power to "relieve" any president of his post for any reason they chose. The periods of military government, however, never involved horrificly harsh repression until the early 1970s. A quick mini-history lesson before arriving at 1976.
Juan Peron was a populist president elected in early 1940s and who served for about ten years, if my memory serves me correctly. However, as the economy began to falter, the military staged a coup and allowed Peron to go into self imposed exile in Spain. For 18 years Peron lived in Spain, and in 1973 when absolutely nobody could save the country from economic and social unrest, they asked him to come back because they knew he was such a unifying figure. Who "they" are, well that's still a bit of a mystery and it might involve some research, but we'll say for now "they" are the powerful whos who in Argentine government. Well, Peron came back in either 72 or 73, ruled for a few months, then died. His third wife Isabela took over, but she did not have the capacity to govern a country so "threatened" (note quotation marks!) but communist infiltration. Let it be known that Jorge Videla did not start dissappearing people after he staged a coup d'etat in 76. My research for my paper last year indicated that the military, under Isabela Peron first began these covert operations in 1974 or '75.
Jorge R. Videla, along with several other heads of military, took over the government in 1976. They ruled until 1983. During this time the military was all powerful. They could take anyone they wanted for the smallest reason (long hair, dissent in school, even if they just didn't like their appearence!) and hold them without trial for as long as they pleased. Over 30,000 people were simply "dissappeared" during this time, many of whom were university students or professors.
Coming back to the present.... I live in a neighborhood with a huge military population. We are two blocks from the national military hospital, and the National School of War (think School of the Americas but in Argentina). And something eerie I just discovered last week... the biggest detention center used during the last military dictatorship, and by big I mean it is rumored to have dissappeared the most people by the most gruesome methods, is right down the street from me. Its called "La ESMA", which is an acronym for the National Naval Academy.
Argentines today are still very wary of anything or anyone associated with the military. While having a conversation with my host mother, Ines, she asked me what I wanted to do with my degree and I told her I was thinking about military law. She listened politely as I told her about my family's history in the military. Then after I was done, suggested to me that I not let it be openly known that I was from a military family and wanted to join because in many settings I would not receive the best of receptions.
The military and police forces today are still very present in Argentine society, although deprived of a lot of their institutional power. Cops are all around, on foot, on horseback, and in cars. All cops carry guns, and all guards I've seen to military institutions carry weapons that look larger than I am tall. The atrocities committed by the military in this country during the 70s and 80s are a very taboo subject, but a few very brave souls are beginning (almost thirty years later) to speak out about what happened to them inside the detention camps. Its a dark stain on this otherwise great country.
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