Political Power and Shadow Networks: The Enduring Influence of Argentina’s Deep State
And a couple of words about José López Rega and Santiago Caputo
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The portrayal of Argentina’s “libertarian” government and its “left-wing” opposition in foreign media often obscures as much as it reveals about the country’s political realities. This particular case warrants closer scrutiny.
An executive jet carrying a dozen suitcases arrives in Buenos Aires from Miami; its sole passenger, closely associated with both Donald Trump and CPAC, passes through customs and immigration without inspection. The reasons for this exemption remain undisclosed. A week later, the aircraft departs for Paris. The jet’s owner, a former member of Argentina’s state intelligence service who has resided in the United States for many years, maintains close ties with Santiago Caputo, the individual widely regarded as the de facto architect and operator of Argentina’s current administration.
None of this is new: the mysterious arrival of private jets, the entanglement of intelligence services, and the influence of well-connected “businessmen” all played a significant role in the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and his widow, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. During her second term, a troublesome public prosecutor was eliminated, likely by operatives linked to the intelligence services. Whether acting under her direct orders or merely in alignment with her interests, their actions served her political aims.
Argentina remains, to a significant extent, under the influence of competing and largely unreformed intelligence agencies and factions within them. These are consistently well-funded and often willing to serve the interests of various patrons. It is not difficult to envisage the involvement of foreign intelligence services of various affiliations operating in this environment. Few countries, if any, have sovereignty that is more readily violated with apparent impunity. One can only speculate on the connections between these groups and Argentina’s political parties, trade unions, business sector, and civil society more broadly. For the most part, such dynamics can be disregarded in daily life, allowing one to carry on as usual without thinking about the underlying structures of power in the country. However, there are moments when reality intrudes: an executive jet arrives under questionable circumstances, an individual with sensitive knowledge meets an unexplained demise, or a prosecutor investigating too deeply gets a bullet in the head.
2.
There are many possible starting dates for the practice of state terrorism in Argentina, the coup that brought the armed forces to power on the 24th of March, 1976 is only one of them. The peronista government the military committee overthrew was already well versed in murdering and torturing opponents both within and without its own ranks.
The killing was done under the auspices of Social Welfare Minister José López Rega, Perón’s erstwhile chauffeur, butler and all-terrain fixer who achieved a position of enormous power in the government of his widow, María Estela Martínez de Perón who became President on his death (and who lives on to this day in Madrid!).
From his youth López Rega was fascinated by the occult, the casting of spells and suchlike were near daily activities for him. When Perón had his final and fatal heart attack he tried to revive him by reciting a special incantation.
This week we learned that Santiago Caputo, Milei’s right hand in all matters not directly related to the economy and the person thought to effectively control the state intelligence service, is also very interested in the occult. He received the grandniece of a famous seer in his office and is said to have tattoos related to the would be prophet’s visions for the future of Argentina on his back. We already knew about his predilection for firearms.
History doesn’t repeat itself but it would be unwise to ignore these historical parallels.