No Argentina for you!
Condoleezza Rice is heading off to
I think the U.S.-Argentine relationship is particularly interesting. The two governments are wary of each other but not exactly antagonistic. Each sees a benefit to being proper but not too friendly, but each sends a variety of signals--sometimes positive, sometimes negative--all the time.
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Leaving aside the most recent dustup, the US and Argentina have historically been at odds with Argentina failing to support the Unites States with many of its policies towards LA and the world. Obviously, there were better relations between the two when the military ruled Argentina, except when Carter was pres, and during the Menem administration. Hitorically, though, these two time periods appear more as anomalies.
Not just Argentina failing to support the U.S., but there was Spruille Braden's Blue Book incident as well as the U.S. supporting Britain in the Malvinas, just off the top of my head.
Argentina took over its banking, booted the IMF, took control of its energy sector, does a little bit of price control ... and has brought the country back from mass poverty and high inflation to low figures and low unemployment.
Its on a moderate growth track. Oh, the Pres speaks with other leaders in the region without DCs permission ...of course the US govt dislikes the Kirchners.
I should say, the current US executive administration dislikes the Kirchners.
I think its silly really. Who are they bothering? As far as I can tell, no one.
I agree with Bosque in that if Rice in fact means to snub Argentina with non-visit, it's dumb and gratuitous. There really shouldn't be any cause for tension between the U.S. and Argentina...
Historically, there has never been a close US-Argentina relationship. Commercially and culturally, US influence has not been very strong. Early on, the UK dominated trade, and when Argentina looked for alternatives it turned to European powers like Germany and France.
In the context of the all-important Brazil-Argentina rivalry, the US was seen as favoring Brazil.
Then you have the late 30's and when important sectors of Argentinian society backed the fascists in Spain and the Axis powers, partly in repudiation to the UK. That support intensified in WWII when the Argentinian military government did just about everything they could do to help the Germans, and was at odds with the allies. There was a lot of the That pro-Axis and anti-US bias did not disapear after the war. It was found in sectors that ended up at odds with each other: Peron's base, the anti-Peronist military, pro-Catholic traditionalists.
Even during the Cold War, when there was a closer US-Argentina relationship, military governments did things like joining the non-Aligned movement, and keeping ties with the USSR that were not particularly pro-US.
Throw in the bias of Argentinians to this more recent history, it is not surprising to see how Argentina and the US have had a not very confortable relationship.
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