SUMMARY
After a long period of stability and prosperity following decolonization, Argentina experienced intense political instability from the 1920s to the 1970s, culminating in the brutal dictatorship of 1976. Since the return to democracy in 1983, however, it has remained one of the most politically stable countries in the Southern Cone, avoiding major conflicts in the post-Cold War era.
Since 1989, Argentina has been involved in the one-sided category of UCDP organized violence.
Gang violence in Rosario
Since 2022, Rosario has been the most violent city in Argentina, plagued by rising levels of organized crime, much of it linked to drug trafficking. Though the current wave of violence can be traced back to 2013, the city has long served as a hub for Argentina's illicit industries. Strategically located just 300 kilometers from the capital and home to one of the country’s most important ports, Rosario sits near key routes connecting Argentina with Bolivia and Paraguay – two major drug-producing nations. Cocaine and other drugs have historically arrived from the north or traveled down the Paraná River, passing through Rosario’s port before heading to destinations in Europe and Africa.
Many criminal organizations in Rosario have developed complex, mafia-style structures deeply embedded in the local drug trade. Even with the incarceration of many leaders, these groups have remained highly active, continuing to control vast drug networks. A key feature of their operations has been the ability to run criminal enterprises from prison, relying on outside affiliates to carry out their commands. In addition to drug trafficking, these groups have been also heavily involved in extortion and money laundering. Systemic corruption, particularly within Santa Fe’s police, along with widespread poverty, has enabled criminal groups to thrive by recruiting vulnerable youth who often become both perpetrators and victims of violence.
In response to the escalating crisis, the government has announced sweeping measures. Under President Javier Milei, Argentina has deployed the armed forces to combat drug trafficking in Rosario – something not seen since the country’s return to democracy in 1983. This militarization of the city, along with efforts to strengthen the penitentiary system, has marked a significant shift in national policy.
Since the late 1990s, Los Monos, a local gang that emerged from a family-based network, established itself as the most prominent organized crime group in the city. While disputes over local drug markets frequently generated violence between armed groups, the violence oftentimes extended to target civilians. Such attacks saw an increase in the early 2020s, and were often related to extortion, retaliation, and intimidation campaigns linked to disputes over illicit markets.
From post-colonial prosperity to political chaos
Argentina, once a stable and prosperous nation, experienced a significant shift in the early 20th century. The labor unrest of 1917, led by radical movements, marked the beginning of a gradual decline in state efficiency. This period saw a growing militarization of the country, with the military gaining more power and autonomy, destabilizing the previously robust governmental structure. By the 1930s, Argentina entered a period known as the década infame ("infamous decade"), a time characterized by political chaos and growing instability. Fascist ideologies, influenced by European movements, took hold, setting the stage for a series of military coups. It was during the 1943 coup that General Juan Domingo Perón's political career began to take shape. Initially imprisoned for his influence over the labor movements – a force he had once supported – Perón would rise to prominence after his release. In 1946, he won the presidency through democratic elections, consolidating his power with the support of three key pillars: the military, the church, and the trade unions. Perón swiftly centralized the political power, ushering in a populist regime that would last nearly a decade, reshaping the country’s political landscape.
Military coups and the leftist insurgencies
Perón was ousted in September 1955 after a four-day military revolt led by Eduardo Lonardi, initiating a period of political instability dominated by the divide between Peronists and anti-Peronists. This polarization extended to the armed forces, with the colorados (“Reds”) pushing for a hardline military regime, while the azules (“Blues”) supported a constitutional government including Peronists. In 1963 an unsuccessful military revolt, led by the strongly anti-Péronistas and Colorado Generals Benjamin Menendez and Federico Toranzo Montero, escalated into an intrastate conflict. From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, power alternated between military and semi-civilian regimes, all struggling to stabilize the economy and control political violence – conditions that eventually enabled Perón’s return to power in 1973.
Péron's comeback, right after his ally Héctor Cámpora resigned, became increasingly tarnished as the alliance between left and right-wing Péronistas began to crackle and extremists on the left and right carried out violent acts with a frequency that threatened public order. Once in power, Péron turned against the revolutionary left by excommunicating them from the Péronista movement. Furthermore, during the so-called years of the Revolución Argentina (“Argentinean Revolution”), the dictatorial period that lasted until 1973, the country was marked by intense political turmoil and the increasing pressure of the Cold War. The suppression of the political activity under the Revolución Argentina fueled a wave of leftist insurgencies, giving rise to guerrilla movements such as the Montoneros (Movimiento Peronista Montonero) and the ERP (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo, Revolutionary Workers' Party). These groups became particularly active during Perón's presidential comeback, waging an armed intrastate conflict that persisted until 1977, when the military's counter-revolutionary operations, under the leadership of General Videla junta, culminated in the dismantling of these movements as part of the brutal crackdown known as the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional (National Reorganization Process).
On 24 March 1976, Isabel Perón, who had taken office as president following her husband's death, was ousted by a military coup led by General Jorge Rafael Videla. This marked the beginning of the guerra sucia (“Dirty War”), a period of brutal repression by the military dictatorship. Unlike a conventional war, the “Dirty War” consisted of covert and illegal operations targeting anyone suspected of leftist sympathies or opposition to the regime. The military junta carried out state-sponsored systematic disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings, with the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (CONADEP) estimating that nearly 9000 civilians perished at the hands of the state.
Pre-1989 conflict: The Malvinas/Falkland war
In April 1982, Argentina, grappling with economic instability and a military junta with dwindling popularity, occupied the British-controlled Falkland Islands (Malvinas for Argentines), a remote archipelago in the South Atlantic with 1800 inhabitants, located 483 km off Argentina's coast. The islands had long been claimed by Argentina and President Leopoldo Galtieri sought to bolster his regime's faltering support by tapping into nationalistic sentiments. However, the British swiftly denounced the invasion and, by late May, deployed thousands of troops to reclaim the islands. What followed was an inter-state conflict between the two nations, Argentina and the United Kingdom, culminating in June 1982 with the British victory and almost 650 Argentinian deaths.
The war's outcome was disastrous for Argentina, triggering a national catastrophe that swiftly eroded support for the junta. The defeat led to the military regime's collapse and the eventual restoration of democracy. In 1983, in response to mounting popular discontent, the junta called for democratic elections, signaling Argentina's return to democratic governance after seven years of authoritarian rule. Since 1983, Argentina has experienced its longest uninterrupted period of democratic governance, marking the most sustained era of political stability in the country’s history.
Argentina as secondary warring party
Argentina provided secondary warring support to Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. Within the scope of the Operación Alfil (“Operation Bishop”), the Argentine Navy and the Argentine Air Force were sent to cooperate with the US coalition in support of the Kuwait side, as established by the UN Security Council.
