Argentina's Trial Of The Juntas & Film "Argentina, 1985" Are A Great Excuse For Optimism In A Time O
Argentina’s Trial Of The Juntas & Film “Argentina, 1985” Are A Great Excuse For Optimism In A Time Of Disillusionment
Agustino Fontevecchia Contributor
Former Forbes staffer, now Digital Director for Perfil in Argentina
Dec 31, 2022,08:30am EST
Prosecutors Strassera and Moreno Ocampo led the Trial of the Juntas in Argentina.PERFIL
The past, almost by definition, has a lot less influence on our reality than the present. And while we are a direct consequence of that seemingly infinite chain of events, the intensity with which we live our lives can act as horse blinders, forcing us only to look forward. For many, Argentina’s most important problem — a consistent economic decrepitude that has lasted nearly a century — is causally determined by our incapacity to reach basic political agreements. Rising polarization, which appears to be a global phenomenon, has reached new heights in Argentina, where it even has its own name, “la grieta.” Interestingly, a large and growing number of pundits and politicians have begun to say that we must overcome our differences through dialogue, even if, in practice, they’ve perfected the art of gaining political peanuts through ad hominem attacks against their opponents.
Yet, a certain “Argentine exceptionalism” still remains in our collective psyche, almost exclusively associated with sporting prowess, from Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi. But as one begins to dig deeper into our history, several key characters and moments emerge that feed our notion that as a nation, we “deserve better.” One such moment, maybe the most important from a socio-political perspective, was the Trial of the Juntas held in 1985. Almost 40 years later, the Juicio a las Juntas Militares had essentially become a relic until a recent film brought it back into the foreground in all of its magnificence. Beyond the cinematographic virtues of Argentina, 1985, directed by Santiago Mitre, that trial – borne out of one of the darkest eras of our short life as a nation – was truly something exemplary that should make Argentines proud. It deserves this newfound interest from the public, and hopefully it will help us regain our self-esteem and belief that a future path of progress is within reach.
While a generalized disillusionment with our democratic institutions may make it feel like the Republic is at risk, nothing compares with the early days of Raúl Alfonsín’s presidency. After seven brutal years in power, the Armed Forces finally withdrew from the Executive, allowing open elections in which Alfonsín handily took the popular vote with a mandate to investigate the crimes committed during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship. While their political capital had seriously deteriorated, the Armed Forces retained the support of a substantial portion of the population – and the guns. At the same time, a lot of people were not aware of the atrocities committed during the dictatorship in the name of the “war against subversion.” Thus, whether it was because of fear or incredulity of the people, the leaders of the military juntas had reasons to believe they could still get away with it, and possibly even return to power.
In this context, Alfonsín made true on his campaign promise and pledged his political support for the trial, an extremely risky affair. This was particularly true for those involved. Starting with the judges and prosecutors, everyone knew the Armed Forces had the means to overthrow the nascent democratic government at any moment. They pushed forth, counting on the courage of the thousands of witnesses giving a voice to those who suffered the sadistic torments of kidnapping, torture, disappearance, and murder at the hands of the supposed “liberators” of the nation. Ultimately, the success of the Trial of the Juntas marked a new beginning for Argentina after half a century of successive military interruptions of the democratic process.
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2022/12/31/argentinas-trial-of-the-juntas--film-argentina-1985-are-a-great-excuse-for-optimism-in-a-time-of-disillusionment/