Argentina

Geography

Contrary to its name, there were never any major discoveries of silver in Argentina. The country is blessed, however, with abundant soil and has a mild climate ideal for agriculture, especially in the rich "Las Pampas" region. The capital and port city of Buenos Aires has long dominated the country. The Andes Mountains in the west create a barrier to commerce with Chile. The north is tropical climate, ranging from the Gran Chaco desert in the northwest to the lush rain forest in the northeast, where Iguazu Falls is located. The southern region of Patagonia is a rugged and bleak wilderness. Two large rivers -- the Parana and the Uruguay -- join to form the "Rio de la Plata" (River of Silver) just upstream from the capital.

History

Argentina has failed to live up to its vast potential, and there have been many coups d'etat and uprisings throughout its history. The period 1880-1914 was the golden era of economic growth, as the advent of refrigerated cargo ships made possible exports of beef to Europe. Buenos Aires became known as the "Paris of South America." Liberal politics never really gained a firm foothold, partly because of flawed leaders. Hipolito Irigoyen (1916-1922; 1928-1930) was an enigmatic character whose Radical Civic Union (UCR) party lacked a clear policy program. After a series of military governments, General Juan Peron was elected president in 1946. He was the classic Latin American military populist leader, who had good luck (i.e., an economic boom), misleading millions into believing in his brilliance and leadership abilities. After his beloved wife Eva died of cancer in 1952, however, he was never the same, and in 1955 he was forced to resign and go into exile. Peron returned as president in 1973 but died a year later, and his second wife Isabella became president but failed to cope with mounting problems and was deposed in 1976. General Jorge Videla took power and launched the "Dirty War" against leftist dissidents, and over 10,000 "disappeared." Facing economic disaster, he resigned in 1981, and his successor sent military forces to occupy the Falklands (Malvinas) Islands, a venture that ended in total defeat at the hands of Great Britain, paving the way for a return to democracy. The government of Raul Alfonsin failed to stabilize the economy, and Argentina experienced hyperinflation. In 1989 Carlos Menem, a charismatic Peronista, was elected. After taking office he went back on his populisict campaign promises and launched a harsh orthodox austerity program, beginning sell-off of state assets, incl. many inefficient state enterprises. Most people grudgingly agreed that that his tight budget and privatization policies were necessary, but his decision to link the peso to U.S.dollar turned out to be a fatal mistake. Apparently a large portion of the proceeds from selling former state firms went to Menem or his political associates, which left the Argentine treasury in a precarious position when the Asian economic crisis spread to Latin America in 1998. Argentina was particularly vulnerable because of Menem's dollarization of the economy.

Culture

Argentina is widely known for the tango, an exotic style of music and dance based on the accordion. The country's greatest author was Domingo Sarmiento who wrote Facundo, a harsh and thinly veiled satirical lampoon of the dictator Manuel Rosas (1830-1852). Sarmiento served as president from 1868 to 1874. The growth of a livestock economy in the late 19th century created a new class of itinerant cowboys, know as gauchos. Argentine people became accustomed to eating beef, consuming 50 percent more of the red meat than the average American. The heavy immigration of Italians in the late 19th century influence on the culture, and the people still regard themselves as "more European" than any other Latin American country. This pride often goes overboard, however, to the extent that Argentines tend to regard themselves as immune from the normal laws of society.

ABOVE: Lake Nahuel Huapi, in the Andes Mountain region of Argentina, close to the border with Chile.

BELOW: The capitol building in Buenos Aires, where the Congress of the Argentine Republic convenes.

Politics

Argentina exemplifies the tendency in many Latin American nations to shun self-examination and blame imperialists for their own problems. The scandals and crises of 2000 through 2004 have tainted free market policies once again, as Menem's skimming of privatization proceeds squandered the country's opportunity to put itself on a track of self-sustaining development after a half century of disappointment. Under-educated people are once again falling victim to scare-mongering nationalists who regard economic liberalism as a surrender of national sovereignty. One of the more telling (and amusing) events of recent years was the fierce protest against the August 2002 visit of U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who had angered Argentines by warning against lending more money to Argentina or other Latin American countries if the money was just going to end up in somebody's Swiss bank account. In fact, that is exactly what Argentine people have been denouncing their own leaders for doing! In protest marches during the first half of 2001 one would see placards that said, "Politicians are lying thieves!" But when a foreigner dares to suggest such a thing, that's considered an affront to the entire nation.

Political party labels are problematic in Argentina, which has seldom experienced stable democratic politics. As a result of the scandals of the Carlos Menem government (1989-2000) and the subsequent financial calamity, the dominant "Justicialista" party founded by Juan Peron split into factions. remains tainted by its fascist-influenced origins and its policy agenda is best characterized as opportunistic. Many were shocked when President Carlos Menem (who served from 1989 to 1999), adopted radical free-market reforms that alienated the Peronistas' labor constituency. The center-left Radical Civic Union (UCR) was founded as a vehicle for the disenfranchised rising middle class in the early 20th century, but it has never had a clear economic strategy. As the budget deficit climbed under President Fernando de la Rua^^^, the fixed exchange regime began to cause a huge balance of payments deficit. All during 2001 the economic crisis in Argentina seemed on the verge of a total meltdown, but somehow they staved off the inevitable until the end of the year. After the government literally ran out of money and checks started bouncing all over the place, popular discontent finally exploded: Hundreds of stores were looted and burned, and the proud, elegant capital of Buenos Aires started looking like Beirut. De la Rua was forced to resign, and five people took his place in rapid succession over the next few weeks.

Since becoming president, Nestor Kirchner has exceeded the modest expectations most people had of him. Once seen as a front man for his predecessor Duhalde with only a weak electoral mandate, he has boldy taken on political forces such as the Supreme Court, sharply curtailing the influence of Menem appointees. Since the government defaulted on various debt obligations in 2001 and 2002, the economy showed remarkable improvement. Kirchner push for greater diplomatic-economic cooperation with Brazil, which historically was Argentina's rival, has paid off handsomely.

Alternative for a Republic of Equals	Front for Victory (Peronista)	Radical Civic Union	Justicialista (Peronista)	Others	Republican Initiative Alliance
Elisa Carrio	Pres. Nestor Kirchner	Roberto Iglesias	Eduardo Duhalde	.	Ricardo Lopez Murphy
S: ? / CD: 8	S: 14 / CD: 50	S: 2 / CD: 10	S: 3 / CD: 9	S: 5 / CD: 34	S: ? / CD: 9

NOTE: Width of each column shows each party's approximate strength. Colors and position (left to right) represent ideological leanings, which are often vague. Numbers show how many seats each party has in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Minor parties are not shown.

SOURCE: CIA World Factbook