Jorge Rafael Videla

Jorge Rafael Videla Redondo (born August 2, 1925 in Mercedes) was the de facto President of Argentina from 1976 to 1981. He came to power in a coup d'état that deposed Isabel Martínez de Perón. After the return to democracy, he was placed on house arrest.

Videla's image abroad

One of Videla's greatest challenges was his image abroad. He attributed criticism over human rights as an anti-Argentine campaign.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During a human rights investigation in September 1979, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights denounced his government, citing many disappearances and instances of abuse. Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, leader of the Peace and Justice Service (Servicio Paz y Justicia) organization, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1980 for exposing much of Argentina's human rights violations to the world at large.

Related Topics:
September - 1979 - Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - Adolfo Pérez Esquivel - Nobel Peace Prize - 1980

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Relationship with the United States

At first, the United States government was willing to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Argentina, though transcripts show U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the U.S. ambassador to Argentina in conflict over how the new regime should be treated, with Kissinger preferring to remain friendly based on anti-Communist interests despite talk of human rights abuses. This changed in 1977 with the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter, who implemented a strict stance against human rights abuses even when dealing with friendly governments. U.S.-Argentine relations remained lukewarm at best until Ronald Reagan became president in 1981. His administration sought the assistance of the Argentinean intelligence services in training the Contras for guerrilla warfare against the new Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Because of this, Videla maintained a relatively friendly relationship with the U.S. under the Reagan administration, though the junta later fell out of favor with the U.S. over the Falklands War after Videla had stepped down.

Related Topics:
United States - U.S. Secretary of State - Henry Kissinger - Anti-Communist - 1977 - President - Jimmy Carter - Ronald Reagan - 1981 - Contras - Sandinista - Nicaragua - Reagan administration - Falklands War

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~