Retribution and Reconciliation in Democracy

Argentina is an instructive example of a democracy whose troubled relationship with its military continued well into the new regime. The transfer of power in Argentina came about as a result of the collapse of a military junta in 1982. President Raul Alfonsin, who had campaigned on a human rights platform, set about instituting reforms aimed at significantly reducing the power of the military. Part of this reduction was budgetary: "The Ministry of Defense estimates that the combined expenses of the defense sector were 5.6 percent of GNP in 1981 and that they were reduced to 3 percent in 1985" (Stepan, 1988, p. 80). In addition to personnel cuts, Alfonsin lowered military salaries.

The military was stunned by Alfonsin's austerity measures, arguing that they constituted shoddy treatment, contributed to low morale and forced many officers into co

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tigative panel, the National Commission on Disappeared Persons. The subsequent investigation was the largest and most sensitive in Argentina's history. The Commission issued a report that detailed the atrocities perpetrated by the military against leftist opponents during the late 1970s and early 1980s: "The launching of the report in an official ceremony was felt as a relief after months of high expectations" (Benomar, 1993, p. 11). Buoyed by the support of a grateful public, Alfonsin succeeded in bringing some of the military junta leaders to trial for their crimes. Halfway through Alfonsin's administration, however, the military began to reassert its power. The revival of the military was due in part to Argentina's dire economic condition. During Alfonsin's administration inflation soared to triple-digits causing economic disruption and extreme hardship. Consequently, the public lost faith in the government and its leadership: "In this scenario, governments become incapable of meeting the great challenges posed by the military" (Aguero, 1995, p. 153). Another reason Alfonsin's offensive against the military was unsuccessful was that his reduction of their powers was enacted with undue swiftness. This gave the mil
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Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)