ABSTRACT
Argentina led South America in political development before the First World War, electing its first truly representative chief executive in 1916. Between 1970 and 1983, Argentina—one of the most refined and civilized countries in the world—experienced a sharp regression towards barbarism, the likes of which had not been seen since the Second World War. All societies display certain political pathologies; not all of them, however, experience terrorism. The United States, for example, is thought to be a violent country, and in fact is so, if we base our judgment wholly on the number of violent crimes committed annually, adjusted proportionally to population. An important minority of Argentines—perhaps 20 percent-view with a certain cynicism the human rights policies of the present Argentine government, since it has brought to trial only one terrorist, Montonero leader Mario Firmenich, extradited from Brazil in 1984.
