The Argentine Jurassic

By: Beatrice E. Rangel - 06/05/2025

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Argentina has an image around the world as a civilized country where democratic institutions have withstood all attacks from the enemies of freedom, including supporters of authoritarianism or totalitarianism, represented by the military and a guerrilla movement that frankly bordered on vandalism. For all non-Argentines, it's the country where retirement is almost as pleasant as in a European nation. And until very recently, that nation was a leader in education, especially in primary and secondary education. I remember using Argentine textbooks for literacy training, and that was more than fifty years ago. Its scientific advances are undeniable, and its entrepreneurial spirit is recognized by both locals and foreigners.

However, today in rural Argentina, or "deep Argentina," as Don Rómulo Gallegos would say, barbarism prevails in its most exalted form. This barbarism is expressed in little or no protection for workers; in low-quality educational establishments; in virtually nonexistent public transportation services; and, worst of all, in the absence of the rule of law. In provinces like Santiago del Estero, Chaco, and Formosa, state representatives use this position to acquire material goods that allow them to suddenly ascend the social ladder; to visit Disney World and acquire luxury cars and watches like those seen on the streets of Dubai. The methods to achieve this Nirvana are those of traditional corruption, which in our hemisphere no one seems to want to combat except Chileans, Uruguayans, Costa Ricans, and the inhabitants of Barbados. But in the case of these provinces, these methods are accompanied by a brilliant subterfuge: the privatization of expropriation. The authorities identify a property, a building, or a house that attracts them. They are seeking titles issued by colonial authorities and ordering the use of public force to evict the rightful owners from their properties. This has just been recorded after two years of investigation by the president of the Human Rights Committee of the Interamerican Institute for Democracy, Armando Valladares. In Santiago del Estero, the President of the Supreme Court of Justice became infatuated with the 30-hectare estate of Manuel Asencio Ardiles. He then sought out an illegitimate document issued in the 19th century, according to which a supposed aunt of his was the owner. With this document in hand, the dispossession of the estate was ordered. Public force was responsible for the eviction of the Ardiles family and the destruction of all their possessions. Mr. Ardiles fell into a depression that led to his death. Despite a complaint filed by Valladares with the competent authorities in Santiago del Estero, to date no authority has intervened to establish due process, restore the property to Mr. Ardiles's legitimate heirs, and compensate them for the dispossession. Even worse, since the current governor, Gerardo Zamora, came to power, dispossession has been the policy supported by the governor's office. And it is freely practiced against the owners of small farms who engage in subsistence farming.

The prevailing regime in Santiago del Estero is feudal, and its ability to oppress citizens by transforming them into serfs is strangely tolerated by the various administrations that have presided over the democratic period that began with Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín. It is striking that among the list of problems to be solved, none has chosen to address this Jurassic Park of Argentina, which oppresses 20% of the population because it extends beyond the three poorest provinces. Perhaps the explanation for this republican deformity lies in the ability of local bosses to persuade the federal government to refrain from intervening in exchange for sending votes to the "winning" political parties. In a polarized society, voting margins matter and determine, granting power to those who know how to exploit them. And as long as this situation prevails, Argentina will continue to be a theater of operations for feudal systems that only serve to restrict democratic development and deny freedom to its weakest citizens.

«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».