It began as a far-reaching war against a vague enemy. Any
questions about the war were considered unpatriotic and
dissenters risked being violently repressed by the government.
The government helped the economic elite profit at the expense
of the poor. When the regime was losing its grip on power, it
turned to a conventional military war that became a disaster.
This synopsis describes the Dirty War of 1976-1983 in
Argentina…and the current US "War on Terror." The Dirty War in
Argentina is a complex story that can be viewed through a
variety of lenses. During the six months I recently spent in
Argentina, I found that the more I learned about the Dirty War,
the more I was learning about the "War on Terror." To say that
the current state of repression in the US is exactly like the
Dirty War would be an insult to the 30,000 people who were
disappeared and tortured in Argentina. The similarities between
the two "wars," however, can indicate in what direction the US
may be headed and how progressives can steer the