State repression and brutality are one of the most unforgivable things that leaders can do to their people. It's a complete disruption of social bonds, with the powerful lashing out against the people that they are supposed to protect. The case of Argentina is particularly horrific, though, unfortunately, just one in the long history of militarized oppression in Latin America. The use of paramilitary forces as an excuse to "maintain security" usually means keeping the elite wealthy and in power and keeping everybody else down. In the case of Argentina, this translated in the use of extreme brutality against countless people. I can't even imagine being in such a situation, living in a constant fear of being taken away, or having someone I love disappear. The complete impunity of the military meant that nobody was safe, and that everybody could be subject to torture and murder, creating a climate of constant fear. In a situation like this, it's not surprising that people would choose to flee rather than remain in such an environment. I understand, however, that this in itself would have also been far from easy, with people grieving not only those they left behind, but also the metaphorical death of a country.
In reading this, two things really stood out for me. One of these was the involvment of the US in the strenghtening of the regime. Of course, I know about that involvment of the United States in Latin America, which was more often than not treated as the US' back yard. However, the blatant support given to disctators still shocks me, especially when the reason behind this was mainly to protect US assets. Countless people suffered, and the US turned a blind eye in order to maintain it's own wealthy elite. The second thing that stood out for me is the courage of the people that still stood up and resisted, risking their lives in the process. Personally, I don't know if I would have had that courage to do that. Through the use of contraversial art, dissent was expressed and circulated. Most impressive, however, were probably the "grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo," the only visible opposition to the regime, who demanded justice for their disappeared loved ones. They displayed true courage, and their commitement to their cause was a strong agent of change.
When reading these horror stories, one is usually left with a "never again" feeling. However, I see these more as a cautionary, a reminder of how easy it is for things to slip into that institutional darkness. It's a reminder of the importance of vigilance and active involvment in politics. Such regimes are not a thing of the past, and they could easily manifest again if we are not careful.
American involvement in Latin American countries, especially during the Cold War, continues to irk me every time I read about it. There are far too many examples of the US supporting or financially backing dictatorial military regimes in Latin America, mainly as a way to halt the spread of the Red communist wave throughout the Western Hemisphere (they obviously failed in Cuba). Because of this financial aid given to military regimes, I think its somewhat plausible to say that the US, at least in a secondary manner, can be held accountable for the thousands of innocent people that died under these violent governments. By turning a blind eye (and therefore allowing) these governments to murder their own people, the US was somewhat complicit--they ignored the violence as long as the governments vowed to stay away from the communist state. Unfortunately, unnecessary and unjustified American involvement in other countries' government and society, as a way to promote American interests over the interests of those they are "helping" still exists today. For a country that claims to the "the land of the free" they sure have a hell of a peculiar way in helping protect the freedoms of non-Americans.
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