Carlos Saul Menem and the Problem with the Argentine Army in the Late 80's and Early 90's of the ХХ Century

Abstract

Latin American armies are highly politicized institutions that often interfere in the governance of their respective countries. Argentine army is no exception to this trend. It cannot accept the democratic path that the country took in the 1980s and above all the fact that it was prosecuted for the violations of human rights during the so-called Dirty War (1976 - 1983). On several occasions during the term of office of President Raul Alfonsin (1983 - 1989), the so-called „painted faces“ organized riots. This trend continued under the second democratically elected president, Carlos Saul Menem, who had to deal with this problem. By the mid-1990s, he succeeded in this endeavor through a series of measures and reforms.