Defense Policy of Argentina in tune hemispheric discursive analysis In October of 2003 in Mexico City, members of the Organization of American States adopted the "Declaration on Security in the Americas, including Argentina was. Here, consensus was reached on the concept of hemispheric security as shared by the States: "Our new concept of security in the Hemisphere is multidimensional in scope, includes traditional threats and new threats, concerns and other challenges to the security of states in the Hemisphere, incorporates the priorities of each state, contributes to the consolidation of peace, integral development and social justice, and is based on democratic values, respect, promotion and defense of human rights, solidarity, cooperation and respect for national sovereignty. " Also defined the threats to the security of states in the Hemisphere, among which are listed both traditional and nontraditional, which are: "terrorism, transnational organized crime, the global drug problem, corruption, money laundering, illicit arms trafficking and connections among them, the extreme poverty and social exclusion of broad sectors of the population, which also affect stability and democracy. Extreme poverty erodes social cohesion and undermines the security of States, natural disasters and human-induced, HIV / AIDS and other diseases, other health risks and environmental degradation, human trafficking, the cyber security attacks, the possibility of damage to arise in the case of an accident or incident during the maritime transport of hazardous materials, including petroleum and radioactive materials and toxic waste, and the possibility of access, possession and use of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery by terrorists. "
It is from this concept and the threats listed in Mexico in 2003, analyzed the defense policy of Argentina and the threats received by this state. Upon recognition of the changing nature and diversity of threats, you should assume the difficulty of defining, in advance, the profile of the challenges ahead. For one thing, remain valid classical security threats, which cause the integrity of States and which strategic uncertainty advised not to totally abandon, though in the case of Argentina there is no possibility of conflict with any other State today.
The threats identified in Mexico are the same threats considered in the Defence White Paper of Argentina which analyzes the international scene after the end of the Cold War and includes additional elements of threats to national and regional level. In Argentina, where democratic governments and reform of domestic legislation was giving rise to this change in perspective of a realistic policy to an institutionalist as crystallized in the National Defense Act of 1988 where he accepted a multidimensional concept of security.
On terrorism, Argentina has undergone in the nineties two terrorist attacks on the AMIA and the Embassy of Israel, and is currently observed by the presence of members of Al Qaeda and Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Triple Border with Paraguay and Brazil. On the border with Bolivia, northern Argentina, in Jujuy province precisely, not officially confirmed the presence of FARC troops.
As for organized crime and drug trafficking, and was alerted to the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner by the same President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon that the events in the case of the "Path of Ephedrine" in which are Mexicans and Argentines involved, evidenced the beginning of serious drug problem in Argentina.
Among the threats from environmental degradation, as the definition de México no se puede dejar de mencionar el conflicto diplomático que llegó incluso a la Corte Internacional por las papeleras finlandesas radicadas en tierras uruguayas a orillas del Río Uruguay que establece el límite con Argentina.
La trata de personas, tema de la agenda parlamentaria del país, por la alerta de un informe de la Organización de Naciones Unidas en septiembre último donde indicaba el grave aumento de los casos en Argentina, no deja de tener prioridad entre las amenazas que son reconocidas.
Por otro lado, cuando se mencionan a enfermedades, más allá del SIDA, en Argentina se tienen dos amenazas latentes, una el del Mal de Chagas con epicentro en la provincia de Santiago del Estero, donde la insect vector is multiplied with the growth of poverty in recent years. Moreover, dengue in the last year has come to threaten even the population of the Province of Buenos Aires, which normally threatening disease in Brazil and Paraguay, came to the border provinces of Misiones, Chaco and Corrientes.
As for the threats of natural disasters in Argentina are mild, usually are floods and landslides caused by the growth of rivers, humid provinces and in central and southern Iraq, the threat slight earthquakes, droughts and the Northeast hurricane winds or heavy storms that left little casualties year but no less important. However, Argentina, from the White Helmets initiative has had a prominent role in humanitarian assistance, which together with the UN peacekeepers have helped to mention the latter cases, the earthquakes in Haiti and humanitarian assistance in 2005 after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in the United States. The White Helmets since 1994 have participated in its creation, from assisting in the reintegration of refugees in Angola, to help after the supermarket fire in Paraguay in 2007 to Hurricane Rita, Stan and Dennis in Cuba Central American countries in 2008.
Extreme poverty is a rising threat in a country in which the economy does not facilitate pro-cyclical development of the family groups and social level, an increase in the number of undernourished, with alarming rates of infant and maternal mortality primarily in provinces such as Formosa, Tucumán and Santiago del Estero.
A performance level of economic risk, Argentina must face lower soybean prices, the decline in meat production and institutional levels to face the crisis of the INDEC and Central Bank and the international perception of failure external debt and the nationalization of the economy generated more economically dependent on the international finance system, investments, so has weakened the country. This in the broadest sense of the defense, which includes economic factors also enter human development. In my opinion, these are factors that influence state policy of a country, that when looking for their autonomy, influence in the region on the other aspects mentioned above, is violated. An economically undeveloped country is vulnerable to corruption, trafficking in arms and drugs, in that it finds fertile ground for people hungry for economic improvement that would not otherwise meet. Like when we say that a well-paid police tends to a lesser degree of corruption.
The White Book of Defense of Argentina recognizes the emergence of new actors on the world stage, citing the Civil Society Organizations, social groups and even the impact of public opinion on the decision to act with respect to conflicts . This again points to a departure from the realistic state-centric view of international relations, and even when mentioned phenomena such as globalization widens the spectrum of issues related to national defense. We could say therefore that the defense policy of Argentina is consistent with the definition so broad and yet so confused by the OAS in Mexico 2003.
The recognition of new players goes hand in hand with changes that have occurred since the end of the Cold War in the nineties, with the emergence of new forms of political violence, urban violence, linked to ethnic or religious rivalries and often linked to serious economic and social frames. In the case of Argentina-city violence is given by dissatisfaction with the social and economic demands that society makes the Argentine government, so the internal conflict has mutated with new moves such as the "picketers" demonstrations with banging on pots and marches against violence, to "express" kidnappings as for Blumberg, etc. "
result, here the logic of a broad definition of security is adequate, comprehensive approach to security, not only in military and police and not absence of conflict with other interstate and international actors state, but also in internal conflicts derivation of extreme poverty and economic factors as defined above. Is then placed on the concept of national security, food security, health security, environmental security, economic security, employment and social implying that it is the same state-building process, with internal problems to be solved the Government to maintain its authority and effectiveness of governance itself. Mix the concept of security that is at a political level of national defense should be at a strategic policy.
Other evidence of that change in thinking on national defense, is the distribution of state resources, which has lost importance and is not privileged national security issues in the design of the national budget, as well as being reduced recent years the democratic period and has slandered the armed forces, security forces have increased corruption cases, including environmental safety. This is because with the advent of democracy in the region and resolving most pending boundary with neighboring countries, especially in Chile during the nineties, the military defense has been lacking in the design of national policy . This changes the traditional sense of national defense based on the possibility of conflict with neighbors when it is estimated that there will be changes in the delineation of borders. You can make the exception of national defense policy for the Falkland Islands where the dispute over sovereignty remains in force with the United Kingdom. Still, the hypothesis to go to war and armed conflict in this matter is off the table.
is reached in the analysis to see the option for a logic of cooperation rather idealistic or liberal, which was based Combined Peace Force "Cruz Del Sur, bilateral force in Argentina and Chile which has its antecedents in the integration of Mission contingent UNFICYP in Cyprus and mutual cooperation that both countries are currently provided in the MINUSTAH mission in Haiti.
This type of defense policy initiatives at the regional joint have increased in recent years, when intertwined with partnerships and / or regional pre-existing security systems with new partnerships with projection strategic. Such policies expand the sources of legitimacy of military spending and open up a significant area of \u200b\u200boperational activity of the Armed Forces cooperative purposes and regional stability. Now that the formation of MERCOSUR in 1991, it was expected the integration of forces at the regional level, as reflected in the restructuring of the internal forces by the Homeland Security Act passed in the same year.
If 88% of resources are used to pay staff, as indicated in the budget as published by the Ministry of Defence, it is impossible to agree on a defense policy without purchase of fixed assets, weapons or upgrade the existing maintenance , as has happened that was sent for scrapping the only aircraft carrier or as the icebreaker was he was out of use for more than a year because they can not have the budget to fix it. So here's cooperation with other countries in the region becomes essential and very utilitarian in the sense of complementarity of national resources with regional expansion towards a national defense to a regional defense. This can be configured in the current circumstances of peace and regional cooperation that is unprecedented, driven by the United Nations 60 years ago but made effective in the last 20 in the region, as noted in the General Assembly in 2005, "In a world where they live globalization and interdependence, no state can stand wholly alone. We acknowledge that collective security depends on effective cooperation that, in accordance with international law, against transnational threats. " We refer here to these threats that transcend borders (today's globalized terrorism, immigration, drug trafficking, organized crime, etc), so the importance of regional and multilateral cooperation.
Argentina has lost prominence in international politics, that initially the creation of forces for peace operations, UN instrument for preserving peace and security and rapid deployment, went hand in hand with a nation's aspiration to a possible reform of the Security Council to win a permanent seat, an aspiration that fell into the hands of regional giant Brazil, which has done its homework on the subject in an impeccable to ensure that post and the role that means in terms of regional security.
In conclusion with respect to that referred to peace operations, the joint forces with Chile's Cruz del Sur, or the training given to troops CAECOPAZ joint (Argentine Joint Training Center for Peacekeeping Operations), change of logic cooperative defense policy, which is ultimately part of the definition of security given in Mexico.
As has been expanding security in a positive manner to recognize non-state actors, and regionalization from a new approach to cooperation with neighboring countries overcome the conflict hypothesis, in regard to safety military and civil defense, the definition of Mexico distorts and obscures the approach than the strategy and policies in this area must have a logical and integral cross with other government ministries, losing strength and measurability of the effectiveness of measures taken regard. Especially when Argentina has not been alien to the threats of terrorist forces have taken dominance on the agenda of global security, and arms trafficking or drug trafficking or human trafficking and other issues affecting a greater or lesser extent, security and strategic interests.
However, we can not lose sight of the contributions of institutionalists that education for peace and the promotion of democratic culture, social justice and human development, as new elements to take into account in national defense policy for institutional stability.
- Document of the OAS / Ser.K / XXXVIII of the Special Conference on Security.
- Report www.mindef.gov.ar / mission% 20of% 20paz/CRUZ% 20of% 20SUR.doc
- http://www.mindef.gov.ar/presupuesto.html
- A/RES/60/1 October 24, 2005.
