To keep up with news from Argentina… — 12 Comments
I wonder whether anyone believes Kirchner at this point.
As Evita III has kept changing her story- changed her story of suicide to then admitting that Nisman was probably murdered but then claimed that it was done to discredit her government- the question is what part of Evita III’s story at what point does one believe.
Not too swift for the Casa Rosada [Arg. equivalent of White House] to simultaneously deny Nisman’s claim of being followed by secret police around BA city and province, and then to post a picture of his airline flight details. No, we didn’t follow him, but yes we knew all about his flight itinerary.
Ever since then the terrorists who lost have been trying to rewrite the violent history of the period so as to convert themselves and their fallen comrades into martyrs.
The terrorist chaos that gave birth to the military repression is well documented in “La Otra Parte De La Verdad” (The Other Part of the Truth) by Argentine Nicolé¡s Mé¡rquez. The book came out last year and has sold more than 20,000 copies. (Unfortunately it is not available in English.)
No civilized person could possibly embrace the excesses of the military and Mr. Mé¡rquez makes it clear that he mourns what happened to his nation. His accounting of terrorism’s toll includes the brutality of the militant fascist group AAA. But he also demonstrates no ambivalence about the leading role played by the Montoneros in sowing terror and chaos.
The final official terrorist tallies for the decade from 1969-1979 were over 21,000 attacks, 1,748 kidnappings and 1,501 murders. Given this brutality and its enormous cost to Argentine society, it is remarkable to count the number people populating Mr. Kirchner’s government who Mr. Mé¡rquez says are ex-Montoneros, including the Secretary of Human Rights Eduardo Duhalde, Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa, Undersecretary of the Presidency Carlos Kunkel, Vice Minister of Foreign Relations Jorge Taiana and Secretary of Consumer Affairs Patricia Vaca Narvaja. Miguel Bonasso, who wrote a book about his Montonero past, is a Peronist congressman and a close Kirchner ally. Horacio Verbitsky, a close Kirchner consultant, was a ranking member of the Montonero intelligence apparatus.
One of Mr. Kirchner’s closest allies is Hebe Bonafini, a militant Argentine activist who declared her “happiness” when thousands were murdered at the World Trade Center. Now he wants to use the site of America’s worst terrorist attack ever to try to cleanse the record of the Montoneros in Argentina. History should never be that easy to distort.
Evita III and her husband Nestor put former terrorists in the upper reaches of their government. It is no accident that Evita III later exhibited a high degree of tolerance for the terrorist government of Iran, in trying to drop the charges from the Hezbollah bombings in Buenos Aires in return for some food for oil deal. Whether Evita III’s people did it [killing Nisman], or the Iranians did it, with or without Evita III’s prior knowledge, we do not yet know. Yet. Will we ever know?
Gringo:
Will we ever know who did it? Most likely not.
However, why would Iran do it? They’re known to support terrorists and terrorism, so the fact that they’re implicated in the Argentinian attack and coverup would hardly even be worth murdering Nisman over, would it? Doesn’t it seem that it’s Kirchner or someone associated with her who had much more to lose by Nisman’s revelations?
Why would Iran do it? In support of your POV, Iran might have done it at Evita III’s request, or her nudge,nudge, wink, wink.
Why would Iran do it on its own? Iran knows that it has a friend in Obama who can do it great favors. However, Iran may have calculated that what Nisman would reveal at the trial would result in too much domestic US pressure on Obama to take a harder line on Iran.
Or simply Iran doesn’t want its machinations made public, and has decided to punish those who make them public. For example, I have read that Nisman had extensive information on Iran’s Hezbollah network in South America. [Which doesn’t surprise me, given what I read years ago about Paraguay’s Ciudad Del Este, which is near Iguazu Falls and borders both Argentina and Brazil.] Someone who is going to reveal that deserves, in Iran’s estimation, some negative consequences.
As I see it, Iran had as much to lose as did Evita III.
From what I have read of Evita III and her husband, while they were leftist Peronistas back in the day, they did not join the terrorist Montoneros. Yes, they sympathized with the Montoneros- else why would they have put former Montoneros into their administration? However, it appears they stopped short of joining them. Evita III and Nestor remind me of SDS stalwarts back in the day who talked the radical talk but stopped short of joining the Weathermen. They weren’t willing to personally bomb and kill for the cause, though they may have sympathized with those who did.
While Evita III is underhanded, and has no problem with stretching the law and violating the law to maintain or augment her power, I doubt she has the makeup to order someone to kill on her behalf. Steal, yes. Break the law, yes. But killing, that may be something else.
It is possible that Evita III may have made some offhanded remark along the line of “Who will rid me of this meddlesome prosecutor?” We all know how that turned out for King Henry.
It is possible that Iran figured that it was doing a favor for Evita III- a favor that she didn’t request.
Because they are ruthless, evil murdering savages? Just a guess.
Something that isnt being mentioned but is very important: Cristina Kirchner’s husband, former president Nestor Kirchner had appointed Alberto Nisman himself to investigate the AMIA terrorist attack of 1994. Nestor Kirchner had created a new commission to investigate the link between the Iranian government and the attack to the Jewish center. Soon after that Nestor Kirchner dies unexpectedly, supposedly due to a heart attack. It was always rumored that he had been assassinated, maybe by drug cartels. The funeral was public but with a closed coffin. This is extremely unusual given that politicians in South America (and most of all Peronist ones!) turn funerals into political statements, so that the face of the deceased is remember. Not in this case. The funeral was televised live with hundreds of thousands attending but with a suspiciously closed coffin.
Immediately after his death and with his wife assuming the presidency, Cristina Kirchner has a complete change of heart and changes her policy towards Iran 180º, protecting the suspects and providing political support to Iran in the region. But Alberto Nisman was already assigned and had started to investigate…
Make no mistake. The terrorists guilty for the attack are long gone and the only thing left was proof of the president’s cover up and associating with terrorists. This is why Cristina Kirchner has Alberto Nisman killed the day before he testifies in front of the National Congress.
As Cristina Kirchner said herself not long ago.”One should only fear God… and me”… http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2015/01/argentine-prosecutor-found-dead-hours.html
g6loq
Something that isnt being mentioned but is very important: Cristina Kirchner’s husband, former president Nestor Kirchner had appointed Alberto Nisman himself to investigate the AMIA terrorist attack of 1994.
Thanks for pointing that out.
Soon after that Nestor Kirchner dies unexpectedly, supposedly due to a heart attack.
The 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association is considered the worst terrorist attack in Argentina’s history. In 2005, Nisman was appointed by then-President Nestor Kirchner, Fernandez’s husband, to revive the floundering investigation. He requested arrest orders be issued against several Iranian officials, including a former president and foreign minister, which an Argentine judge agreed to do in 2006. Interpol later put most of them on its most-wanted list.
Nestor Kirchner appointed Nisman in 2005, but his death was 5 years later, in 2010, which is not so “soon after.” Which does not disprove suspicions of hanky panky regarding Nestor’s death, but points out Nestor Kirchner didn’t die “soon after” he appointed Nisman.
The funeral was public but with a closed coffin. This is extremely unusual given that politicians in South America (and most of all Peronist ones!) turn funerals into political statements.
Yes, it is unusual to have a closed coffin funeral for such a leader, and yes, it was closed coffin.
I appreciate the interest shown. As I used to work in Argentina, and drink yerba mate daily, I have more interest in Argentina than the average reader.
At the time of his death, Nisman was probably THE expert on Iranian activity in South America, not only in Argentina. I’m amazed that the story is getting almost no attention in US media.
Gringo:
his death was 5 years later, in 2010, which is not so “soon after.”
Checked, you’re right. Thank you. Keeping fact straight is a Sisyphean task. Part of the battle against the narratives. All narratives!
As to Argentina, its modern history is a shame.
A text book case of mucking with the software and destroying all the good they had achieved … We are going their way …
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I wonder whether anyone believes Kirchner at this point.
As Evita III has kept changing her story- changed her story of suicide to then admitting that Nisman was probably murdered but then claimed that it was done to discredit her government- the question is what part of Evita III’s story at what point does one believe.
Not too swift for the Casa Rosada [Arg. equivalent of White House] to simultaneously deny Nisman’s claim of being followed by secret police around BA city and province, and then to post a picture of his airline flight details. No, we didn’t follow him, but yes we knew all about his flight itinerary.
You lie down with dogs, you get infested with fleas. From the WSJ, 2005, a partial quote: The Other Villains in Argentina’s Dirty War.
Evita III and her husband Nestor put former terrorists in the upper reaches of their government. It is no accident that Evita III later exhibited a high degree of tolerance for the terrorist government of Iran, in trying to drop the charges from the Hezbollah bombings in Buenos Aires in return for some food for oil deal. Whether Evita III’s people did it [killing Nisman], or the Iranians did it, with or without Evita III’s prior knowledge, we do not yet know. Yet. Will we ever know?
Gringo:
Will we ever know who did it? Most likely not.
However, why would Iran do it? They’re known to support terrorists and terrorism, so the fact that they’re implicated in the Argentinian attack and coverup would hardly even be worth murdering Nisman over, would it? Doesn’t it seem that it’s Kirchner or someone associated with her who had much more to lose by Nisman’s revelations?
Why would Iran do it? In support of your POV, Iran might have done it at Evita III’s request, or her nudge,nudge, wink, wink.
Why would Iran do it on its own? Iran knows that it has a friend in Obama who can do it great favors. However, Iran may have calculated that what Nisman would reveal at the trial would result in too much domestic US pressure on Obama to take a harder line on Iran.
Or simply Iran doesn’t want its machinations made public, and has decided to punish those who make them public. For example, I have read that Nisman had extensive information on Iran’s Hezbollah network in South America. [Which doesn’t surprise me, given what I read years ago about Paraguay’s Ciudad Del Este, which is near Iguazu Falls and borders both Argentina and Brazil.] Someone who is going to reveal that deserves, in Iran’s estimation, some negative consequences.
As I see it, Iran had as much to lose as did Evita III.
From what I have read of Evita III and her husband, while they were leftist Peronistas back in the day, they did not join the terrorist Montoneros. Yes, they sympathized with the Montoneros- else why would they have put former Montoneros into their administration? However, it appears they stopped short of joining them. Evita III and Nestor remind me of SDS stalwarts back in the day who talked the radical talk but stopped short of joining the Weathermen. They weren’t willing to personally bomb and kill for the cause, though they may have sympathized with those who did.
While Evita III is underhanded, and has no problem with stretching the law and violating the law to maintain or augment her power, I doubt she has the makeup to order someone to kill on her behalf. Steal, yes. Break the law, yes. But killing, that may be something else.
It is possible that Evita III may have made some offhanded remark along the line of “Who will rid me of this meddlesome prosecutor?” We all know how that turned out for King Henry.
It is possible that Iran figured that it was doing a favor for Evita III- a favor that she didn’t request.
CFKirchner scolds Cabinet officials:
‘You should only fear God and me’
http://tinyurl.com/mabxs2t
Forget it neo, its Argentina.
Gringo:
Those are good arguments you make.
“Why would Iran do it on its own?”
Because they are ruthless, evil murdering savages? Just a guess.
Something that isnt being mentioned but is very important: Cristina Kirchner’s husband, former president Nestor Kirchner had appointed Alberto Nisman himself to investigate the AMIA terrorist attack of 1994. Nestor Kirchner had created a new commission to investigate the link between the Iranian government and the attack to the Jewish center. Soon after that Nestor Kirchner dies unexpectedly, supposedly due to a heart attack. It was always rumored that he had been assassinated, maybe by drug cartels. The funeral was public but with a closed coffin. This is extremely unusual given that politicians in South America (and most of all Peronist ones!) turn funerals into political statements, so that the face of the deceased is remember. Not in this case. The funeral was televised live with hundreds of thousands attending but with a suspiciously closed coffin.
Immediately after his death and with his wife assuming the presidency, Cristina Kirchner has a complete change of heart and changes her policy towards Iran 180º, protecting the suspects and providing political support to Iran in the region. But Alberto Nisman was already assigned and had started to investigate…
Make no mistake. The terrorists guilty for the attack are long gone and the only thing left was proof of the president’s cover up and associating with terrorists. This is why Cristina Kirchner has Alberto Nisman killed the day before he testifies in front of the National Congress.
As Cristina Kirchner said herself not long ago.”One should only fear God… and me”…
http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2015/01/argentine-prosecutor-found-dead-hours.html
g6loq
Thanks for pointing that out.
From a recent edition of the NYT:
Nestor Kirchner appointed Nisman in 2005, but his death was 5 years later, in 2010, which is not so “soon after.” Which does not disprove suspicions of hanky panky regarding Nestor’s death, but points out Nestor Kirchner didn’t die “soon after” he appointed Nisman.
Yes, it is unusual to have a closed coffin funeral for such a leader, and yes, it was closed coffin.
I appreciate the interest shown. As I used to work in Argentina, and drink yerba mate daily, I have more interest in Argentina than the average reader.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/10/argentina_bids_farewell_to_a_p.html
Thank you for the link!
At the time of his death, Nisman was probably THE expert on Iranian activity in South America, not only in Argentina. I’m amazed that the story is getting almost no attention in US media.
Gringo:
his death was 5 years later, in 2010, which is not so “soon after.”
Checked, you’re right. Thank you. Keeping fact straight is a Sisyphean task. Part of the battle against the narratives. All narratives!
As to Argentina, its modern history is a shame.
A text book case of mucking with the software and destroying all the good they had achieved … We are going their way …