Politics || Addressing Argentina's Past

Addressing Argentina's Past
By Erika Lorentzsen

As I rushed from the oldest synagogue in Buenos Aires to the Jewish headquarters of AMIA (Asociacion Mutua Israelita Argentina) I asked a cab driver for directions. He didn't seem to know what I was looking for, nor was he aware that on July 18, 1994, 85 were killed when AMIA was bombed. For some, this, and the Israeli embassy bombing March 17, 1992 where 29 people died, could be forgotten. Not only have these cases been under investigation since then, they have demonstrated how much trouble some will go to cover it up.

Last year, the case was reopened when evidence suggested that the former Argentine President Carlos Saúl Menem received a bribe from Iranians to keep quiet and stall the investigations. Incredible as it may seem, Menem ran again for reelection with popular support from the middle class. Later, he dropped out of the race, seeking to default the legitimate election of the current President Néstor Kirchner. Menem's not the only bad fish in the bouillabaisse concerning these bombings and implications reach high ranking officials spanning the globe. Recently President Néstor Kirchner has opened the classified material by Argentina's Secretary of State Intelligence to allow testimony at the trial of 20 alleged accomplices to help bring this to a conclusion.

After a van drove into the building with explosives, AMIA has become more inconspicuous to those walking down the street. The impressively large complex sits back like a well-guarded secret, behind doors that lead through a concrete barrier with a heavy security system and watchful staff. Housed in a modern skyscraper and unapparent from street level, the bustle of activity in AMIA is impressive. In the lobby, workers and visitors walk around with nametags; many are from all parts of the world representing different organizations. A plethora of languages mingle like sounds of opening and closing office doors - ever present, yet unremarkable to those who experience it everyday.

This international organization, a bastion of Jewish leadership, represented a terrorist target for Middle Eastern terrorists. It is believed that Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist organization, is responsible for the attacks. However evidence also points to a Syrian connection due to the gifts Menem received.

Nearly as large as the Jewish community in France, which is the largest in Europe, the 200,000 Jews who live in Argentina make up a significant block. Argentina has a history of harboring Nazi fugitives like Adolf Eichmann, the man in charge of Hitler's "final solution" who was extradited in 1960. It is also widely known that the secret service and the military has a history of anti-semitism. Argentina has the highest amount of psychiatrists per capita in the world. During Argetina's Dirty War which lasted from 1976-1983, many of the disappeared, those considered subversive to the State, happened to be Jewish psychiatrists. Few professionals and even fewer dissenters were exempt from the horrors of the dictatorship's Dirty War.

August 20th, 2002, the State Department released documents produced by the United States Embassy in Buenos Aires which shed light on the kidnappings, killings, and torture during the military dictatorship. This will be very useful for the investigations that may proceed in Argentina. President Kirchner has stated that he will reverse the decade old Supreme Court laws and pardons, inaugurated under the Menem administration, where military members during the Dirty War were granted immunity. Also, human rights violators who are wanted in other countries can now be extradited, which also means those involved in the AMIA bombings can now face trial.

For the many holocaust survivors who fled Europe for Argentina, what happened in the Dirty War is all too reminiscent of their past. After the holocaust they and their children have worked to solve cases most would rather leave as forgotten history - too troubling to drag up. While old wounds are reopened with evidence and possible trials for the numerous corruption and crime investigations that happened during the Dirty War, others slowly burn, such as the AMIA bombing.

Originally from the heart of Patagonian backcountry, Kirchner is making bold steps in a country riddled with economic problems. When Colin Powell last visited Argentina, President Kirchner demonstrated that he was not willing to work with America after they had ignored the financial crisis in Argentina last year. Even after such a statement he made significant progress in his relations with the US by meeting with President George W. Bush recently. Bush suggested that Argentina should send troops to Iraq if Kirchner is seeking more financial support from Bush to heal the economic crisis and combat terrorism. This may be a bit of wishful thinking on Bush's part.

Although the American media looks towards Iran and North Korea as the "axis of evil", Argentina's terrorist bombings are worth American attention due to their strong connection to Middle Eastern groups. If evidence implicating senior Iranian governmental officials including the Ayatollah Khamenei proves to be conclusive, Iran will most likely face even more pressure from the US and possible UN sanctions.

President Kirchner's next big step should be to bring the perpetrators of the AMIA bombings to justice in Argentine courts. Similar to the case of August Pinochet in Chile, none of the perpetrators of the Dirty War or the Israeli embassy and AMIA bombings have been brought to justice in their own country. Such steps would thereby curb corruption and terrorism directly in Argentina and would send a message that Argentina no longer tolerates such acts and those terrorists will be prosecuted. By coming to terms with its past, Argentina can clear the path to a more transparent and prosperous future.