Argentinian Politics

This is a blog about Argentina and its politics and culture. This blog is not objective nor does it try to be so -it fully supports the current government. I wanted to show Argentinian leftism to the world through this blog, which will include news...

[argentinianpolitics]

If the gringo that buys us is bad, the criollo that sells us is worse.

Arturo Jauretche, Peronist Politician (1901-1974)

Si malo es el gringo que nos compra, peor es el criollo que nos vende.

Gringo is an untranslatable word used in Argentina and some other countries in Latin America as a derogatory term for people from the US. In Argentina, nowadays, a similar yet much more common word is “yanki”. Criollo, another untranslatable word, used to mean a child of Spanish parents, born in what would become Argentina. When this quote was said, it meant “Argentinean”.

Jauretche was a writer and politician during Perón’s governments who supported him. His most famous book is A Handbook of Argentinean “Zonceras”. He defines “zoncera” as a political myth, something anti-peronists and right wing politicians invented to support their ideologies. 

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Fidel Castro

[argentinianpolitics]

A bit more on Trans people in Argentina

Cristina Campos, a trans woman from the leftist party Nuevo Encuentro, which is a part of the FPV, the Kirchnerist party, will be running for Senator in the Province of Mendoza and, were she to win the ellection, she would become Argentina’s first trans senator.

Campos is a Human Rights and Trans Rgihts activist, and she works for young girls who were forced by their situation to work in the sex industry to get an education or a job in their field of choice and be able to leave an industry that exploits them against their will. 

[argentinianpolitics]

And even if I leave shreds of my life in the way, I know that you will take my name and carry it as a flag unto victory.

Eva "Evita” Duarte Perón, First Lady of Argentina (1946-1952).

With this incredible words, Evita would announce to the people of Argentina who had gathered to see and lisen to her speech that she would not be running for Vicepresident in the 1952 elections which Juan Domingo Perón was sure to win, after implying that, because the Argentinian people wanted it that way, she was considering that position. The speech in which she said this quote is usually called the “Historical Renunciation” (”Renunciamiento Histórico”), and even nowadays Paronist politicians talk of “Historical renunciations” when they ask a different politicains from the same party to not run against them in order to not split the votes itno two candidates of similar ideology.

Of course, the most important reasons why Evita couldn’t run for Vicepresident was because of the Cervical Cancer that would kill her the year of the election. She was mourned for days and days by the majority of the Argentinian people, but the higher classes and the anti-peronists rejoiced in her death, going as far as writing graffiti that read “Long Live Cancer” (”Viva el cáncer”).

[argentinianpolitics]

Luis Barrionuevo, an argentinian politican who participates in Unions politics, called the Minister of Economy Axel Kicillof, who is jewish, “rusito”, which is a very derogatory term form jews in Argentina.

Antisemitism still exists in Argentina, and even though it’s not very common, some politicians still use this terms.

The President angrily criticised Barrionuevo and asked INADI (Argentina’s Anti-Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism Institute, Instituto Nacional contra la Discriminación, la Xenofobia y el Racismo) to do something about it. Axel Kicillof himself ironically wondered if Argentinian right-wing Jewish associations would defend him.

[argentinianpolitics]

When youth sets in motion, change is inevitable.

Nestor Kirchner, Ex-President of Argentina (2003-2007)

“Cuando la juventud se pone en marcha, el cambio es inevitable.”

The inclusion of youths into the world of politics is often considered one of the greatest accomplishments of the presidences of Nestor Kirchner and his wife and succesor, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the current President. During their governments, more and more political parties and associations were founded by young people, many of them High School and Univeristy students. A very important aspect of this is the law commonly called Youth Voting law (ley de Voto Joven), which allows people to vote when they turn 16 instead of 18, passed in 2012.

[mapsontheweb]

Map of a survey asking the world who they sees as the biggest threat to world peace, 2013.

[argentinianpolitics]

Some of the issues I will be writing on for the next days:

On important political rpojects of the last few years:

Vulture Funds and the External Debt

Nationalisation and Renationalisation of Public Services

The Audiovisual Media Law

The Dictatorship Trials

On Argentinian history:

Neoliberalism during the 90s

The Dictatorship (1976-1983)

The 2001 Crisis

A short text on Argentinian “Radicalism”

[argentinianpolitics]

Gender Identity in Argentina

Since today (March 31st, 2015) is Trans Visibility Day, I decided to make a little post on a very important Argentinian law passed in 2012: the Gender Identity Law (Ley de Identidad de Género).

This law defines Gender Identity as a Human Right: according to it, everyone has the right to “a), the acknoledgement of their gender identity; b) their free development as a person according to said identity; and c) to be treated according to their gender identity and particularly, to be identified that way in the instruments that accredit their identity in respect to their names, image and sex registered in them.”

What this all means is that in their ID, people can legaly change the names they were assigned as as birth, as well as the gender, without there being any records on the fact that it used to be different.

This process does not require Trans* people to transition in any form unless they so choose to, but the Public Health system offers different transitioning procedures, and they are free.

This law even talks about misgendering, considering it an attack on the Right to Gender Identity, and it clarifies hat the only thing needed for someone to be called by their true, chosen name is them asking.

This Law was passed with 167 votes for it, 17 against it, and 7 who decided not to vote. It was written by Congressmen of the FPV (Frente Para la Victoria, or Front For Victory) , the party that the President belongs to and which has the majority of seats in the Congress

It is an extremly important Law for the Trans community in Argentina, made possible by a Government who has always supported the LGBT+ and Queer people of their country.

[argentinianpolitics]

Doing is better than saying; realizing is better than promising.

Juan Doming Perón, Ex-President of Argentina (1946-1955 & 1973-1974).

Mejor que decir es hacer, mejor que prometer es realizar.

This is one of the best known quotes by Perón, one that shows his pragmatism and his intention of never making promises he wasn’t going to carry out, never speaking of something he didn’t actually mean- his political honesty; and this idea of actually doing, actually realizing, instead of only theorizing and arguing, made him one of the most important Presidents of the 20th Century.

[argentinianpolitics]

A short text on Peronism

Peronism is an Argentinian political ideology based on the ideas and governments of Juan Domingo Perón. 

Perón was President three times: from 1946 to 1952, from 1952 to 1955 and from 1973 to 1974. His second term was ended by a coup d’état, and his third term, by his death.

Peronism is not, as some people seem to believe, an alternative form of Marxism in Argentina. In fact, a common saying between Peronists was “neither Yankis (a derogatory term Argentinians use for people from the US) nor Marxists: Peronists”, which meant they believe in neither Capitalism nor Socialism, though many peronists believed, and still do, that Peronism will eventually lead to a Scoialist government.

Some of the basic important featurs of Peronism are: the huge importance it gives to social justice; the fact that it’s formed by the working class and tends to grant rights to and improve the situation of said class; it’s huge support by “the people”, meaning that it’s governments tend to be voted by great amounts of the population, especially the lower classes; the importance it gives to industralization and economic autonomy; et cetera.

It should also be noted that in the 2nd term of Perón’s government women were finally granted the right to vote, mostly thanks to the President’s wife, Eva Perón, usually known as Evita.

To this day, it remains the biggest political party of Argentina, and there have been several Peronist Governments, each one extremly different to the other. Although some consider it a left wing movement, at least when it was starting in the 40s, there are nowadays both extreme lefitst and extreme conservative Peronist politicians. 

[argentinianpolitics]

One last post today: on asks and discussions -I’m willing to talk and argue qith anyone who sends an ask, asks a question or reblogs and adds to one of my posts or the posts I reblog. However, keep in mind the objective of the blog: to inform those who have no acces to this kind of information -if you are Argentinian, I’d rather have the dscussion elsewhere.

[queerhawkeye-deactivated2017012]

GRINGO GO HOME: a comprehensive list of (some) of the bullshit the u.s. has pulled on latinoamerica

this list is being published on december 27th; 2014. i’m 20y/o; argentinian, not associated with any particular political party. i don’t claim to know everything that’s happened or is happening in latin america and i welcome any addition from fellow latinxs.

i want u.s. intervention on my country and the rest of my continent to stop; and i want the usamerican people to be aware of the atrocities that your country has committed against ours. 

i strongly suggest thisisnotlatinx and fylatinamericanhistory for more readings on latinoamerican history, politics and why your country fucking sucks. now: the first part of this post is mostly historical events from 20 years or longer ago; the second part is about more recent events.

#murder cw, #torture cw, #sterilization cw, #police violence cw, #medical cw, #drugs mention cw (add any warning i missed, por favor)

(1952’s-recently) after aiding the military coup of Batista in Cuba; the US used its own military force to try and stop the armed revolution led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. after the revolution succeeded, the US proceeded to apply a diplomatic, political and economic blockade on the Cuban republic that lasted until Fidel Castro’s stepping from power (this part has been edited bc i had originally mixed up Castro w/Chavez and wrote he’d died recently)

also the mere existence of Guantamo Bay to this day in Cuba like

(mid 1800’s-today) the US not only invaded and occupied Haiti, wrecked its economy and aided several military dictatorships; it still holds silent power over its government and is doing nothing good with it 

(1946) the US government admittedly infected Guatemalan citizens with various STDs as part of ‘medical research’

(1980) the US government to this day justifies its aid in the murder of more than 63k civilians during the US-supported military dictatorship in El Salvador

(1970’s) one third of Puerto Rican women were forcibly sterilized in a state-approved project

(1973; operation condor) after Chile democratically elected its first socialist president; the US worked to block him diplomatically and destabilize Chile’s economy; ended up with a coup d’etat that killed him and placed Pinochet in power; giving place to a 17 years long dictatorship that had over 30k victims of kidnappings, murders, disappearances and tortures, all aided by the CIA

(1973; operation condor) the CIA aided the military coup in Uruguay that led to 12 years of prosecution and torture and at least 180 murdered people (most executed in Argentina and Brazil); though they had been gathering information with inhumane methods for years. 

(1954-today; operation condor) the CIA and the US administration in general aided the 1954-1989 anti-communist military dictatorship of Stroessner in Paraguay, even founded some of the torture centers. in 2012; the Obama administration also supported the ‘institutional coup’ of former leftist president to be replaced a liberal and pro-USAmerican government; that the people are protesting to this day

(1976; operation condor) the so-called Argentinian dirty war was another US-aided military coup that aimed to end Peronism (a Marxist movement named after Juan Domingo Perón). the kidnappings, murder and torture started roughly in 1969 and ended in 1989 with more than 30k disappeared/murdered people; thousands more victims of torture and hundreds of stolen children whose identities might never be recovered. there is hard proof that the CIA trained Videla’s military forces in torture and assassination methods. (this part has been edited bc i had incorrectly labeled Peronism as leftist. it’s a populist movement but not leftist)

(1964; operation condor) as Brazil had already confirmed and has been recently backed by the 2014 CIA torture report; the 1964-1985 military dictatorship that had thousands of deaths and over 20k victims of torture was also helped to put in place and aided during its extension by the US

the main reason Puerto Rico isn’t independent is because the separatists are all socialists and communists, and the US doesn’t want anyone to mess with their economy

(1960’s) the thrilling story of how the CIA built Manuel Noriega as the perfect spy, placed him as a military dictator in 1983; used him to aid USAmerican drug trafficking and, when he became a nuisance, invaded Panamá to take him out 

(1983) the CIA’s torture manuals also aided the murder of more than 150 leftists in Honduras

 recent events:

(2002) the Bush administration orchestrated a coup d’etat against Venezuelan leftist president Hugo Chavez; which was thrown off two days later by the massive popular support towards President Chavez

(2012-today) though this post isn’t supporting or condemning Maduro’s presidency; the US wants to push for another military coup in Venezuela and that’s just because the opposing party is a neo-liberal, pro-US party while Maduro is anti-yanki and openly leftist

(2007-today) US intervention is Mexico’s cartel situation has been proved to only worsen the situation and increase the violence

(2012-today) amnesty international and about any human rights organization agrees that the monetary and military support that the US is giving to Colombia’s war on drugs is just leading to violence, human rights violations and a borderline police state

(2009) Manuel Zelaya believes the latest coup d’etat in Honduras to have been aided by USamerican forces

EDIT:

Para colaborar menciono el golpe de estado a Jacobo Arvenz en 1954 impulsado por EEUU debido a las medidas proteccionistas en el pais que perjudicaba a la United Fruit Company (empresa PRIVADA) // “To collaborate, let me mention the coup d’etat against Jacobo Arvenz (Guatemala) in 1954, pushed by the US due to the protectionist motions that affected the United Fruit Company” - via thehawthornepassage

Por favor, no olvides el boicot económico que los Estados Unidos ejercieron sobre Argentina para forzar la caída del peronismo y evitar que Argentina se convirtiera en la potencia sudamericana que prometía ser en la primera mitad del siglo veinte. // “Please, don’t forget the economic boicot that the US used against Argentina to force the fall of Peronism and avoid Argentina becoming the south-American potency that it promised to be during the first half of the 20th century” - via olie-golden-wolf

Dominican Republic: Two Interventions and support to the worst dictatorship in the island. A lot of people say Trujillo was the most bloodiest mothefucker -pretty sure I made a mistake in those words but wathever- in America Latina. Thanks. - via juanitastar

American invasions/occupations of the Dominican Republic: 1916-1924; 1965-1966 (let’s be real the US never left) Also this gem: "Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the brutal dictator who ruled the country with Washington’s blessing for 31 years.  Trujillo used the U.S.-trained National Guard to banish, torture or kill his opponents.  As President Franklin Roosevelt’s secretary of state, Cordell Hull famously said of Trujillo: "He may be a son-of-a-bitch, but he is our son-of-a-bitch." - 40 years later, U.S. invasion still haunts Dominican Republic  - via @212023

It’s hard to find sources that are not skewed towards the U.S. but here’s a pretty objective timeline of the events that have happened in Nicaragua - via egoxmania

 also; as of today, the list of USAmerican military bases; training locations and planned military programs on latinoamerican soil includes the following (sources and readings on why you should be angry and worried: [x] [x] [x] [x])

cuba (guantánamo)

puerto rico 

colombia

perú 

aruba

curaçao 

paraguay

brazil

el salvador

honduras

haiti

las bahamas

antigua y barbuda

ecuador

bolivia

EDIT: this list had originally included costa rica, but, as someone pointed out, the military pact that the US had started talking about w/costa rica’s government was never actually acted upon (“In June 2002 the United States signed an agreement with Costa Rica for an International Law Enforcement Academy, but popular movements have so far prevented the pact’s ratification. - [x]”

[argentinianpolitics]

A little bit on how this blog will be organised.

There’re two basic points to this blog: firstly, to spread information to the world about Argentinian culture and politics, in a context in which this country is becoming more and more important in an international level; and secondly, in a personal level, for me to use it as a place to write about the politics of my country with a different “audience” to the one I usually have.

Moving on to the actual organisation of the blog, there will be different types of posts:

Current Events : with the date and main topic in the title, they will explain an important event in the day it happens, or the previous day. Tagged as #current events and #DD/MM/YY (for example, a post written in March 30th would be tagged as #20/03/15)

Quotes: important quotes from politicians, journalists, writers or other relevant people form the past or present. Tagged as #quotes.

Political History: these posts will describe an important historical event, or tell the story of a significant politican or political party in Argentinian history. tagged as #political history.

News of the Week: with the date in the title, they will shortly summarize the most important news of the week. Tagged as #news of the week and as #DD/MM/YY, of every day of the week (for example, a post written about the week that goes from March 22th to March 28th would be tagged as #22/03/15, #23/03/15, #24/03/15, #25/03/15, #26/03/15, #27/03/15 and #28/03/15)

Even though these will be the main types of posts, there will also be some special poosts an maybe some more personal posts, later on. I might also translate an article I find interesting, but not yet.

[argentinianpolitics]

30/03: Before the strike

Tomorrow, the Transportation Workers’ Union and some others like the Bank Employees’ Union will be going on strike to protest Income tax, claiming it affects most of their workers. Some of the leaders of this Union even call it “a tax on salary”.

Income tax is fairly new in Argentina, and over the past few years it has been largely criticised by certain Unions and politicians. However, the truth is that it only affects 10% of workers, since it’s only paid by those who earn more than $15,000 Ars (about 1700 dollars) per month. 

Even though the current Government’s policies have always worked in order to guarantee more rights to the working class, and to empower it, this Unions, who represent not the actual workers but rich employers and companies, have decided year after year to go on strikes to protest.

It should be noted that when the Transportation workers strike, pretty much every other service besides water or electricity, as well as most offices, shops and business, have to close as well, since they are not able to get to their works, thus making it seem as though they participated on the strike. 

The Minister of Economy, Axel Kicillof, and the Chief of Staff, Aníbal Fernández, have met today with the leaders of the Unions that will go on strike to try to reach an agreement but the meeting was unsuccesful since “the businessmen aren’t actively participating as we’d like them to, to discuss the issue with the unions” (A. Fernández.). They also indicated that they "consider the strike as one with politic intentions" (A. Kicillof) since this year there will be a Presidential election.

Some pseudo-leftist political parties, who identify as socialists or Trotskyists , such as Partido Obrero (roughly translated as the Worker’s Party or Working-Class Party), have decided to support the strike, proving once again that they represent the interests of the High and Middle classes, not the working-class at all.

[cristinafernandezdekirchner]

Nunca vi tantos chicos en una marcha del 24 de marzo. Nunca vi tanto futuro http://www.cfkargentina.com/recuerdos-del-futuro/

[argentinianpolitics]

Well, this is my first post. As it’s said in the description of the blog, the content published here is absolutely partial and biased, and in the end, what I believe to be true. Of course, I will always provide sources and facts to back up my arguements. I will publish in English since the point of this blog is to introduce Argentinian politics to Tumblr users who might not be familiar with Spanish.