INTA course on politics and economics Blog # 3

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The story of the “desaparecidos” and what went on in the ESMA concentration camp is so tragic that I have started wondering why I had not heard much about it in the United States. And even, among Argentines, unless you bring up the subject, it is an episode that people do not tend to talk about as much. After reading the “Children of Cain” I have, once again, confirmed my conclusion on how hypocritical Post Cold War U.S foreign policy is and has been. According to Rosenberg, it is clear that U.S not only provided substantial financial aid to the ESMA, but also “military” training to Argentine Junta’s officers in the U.S. So, I wonder, is this why many Argentines do not have a very favorable image of America? Probably! I say so because that is what a good number of them have told me. Santiago, my Argentine friend’s boy friend told me that although he has been in the United States to visit her brother he has no real intentions of going back because he does not feel neither sympathy nor any kind of affiliation towards Americans or America. He is a thirty one year old lawyer who insists that one of the reasons why Latin America has not been able to progress in a significant way is because of the negative influence and intervention the United States has exercised on this part of the world. He is a very interesting man who has very strong ideals, but at times, also very contradicting ones.

The atrocities committed by the Argentine Military Junta in the late 70s and early 80s are regarded as a very tragic and shameful period of Argentine history. And is very interesting to see how when referring to the United States, many Argentines say that what happened during this period of time in this country does not even compared to a fraction of the negative things the U.S has done in the world.

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