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talkpolitics2011-02-18 12:19 pm
On the Airplane Incident
Argentina and the United States are currently in the offs over an American C-17 transport plane that was seized by Argentine customs officials. The plane was sent as part of a routine training of Argentine federal police in handling hostage crisises. Argentine officials are claiming that the plane contained unusual cargo that wasn't listed on the manifest, specifically arms and drugs, including morphine. The US for its part is claiming that everything was above-board and that the search itself was "unusual and unannounced" and was inappropriately seized. The American government is requesting the material be returned, the Argentine government is saying "no way".
Confusingly, despite seizing the plane because it contained unannounced cargo, the customs officials did not see fit to contact the judiciary. This despite citing Argentine law in support of the seizure.
For my part, I think the US is being a bit disingenuous by whining about the search being unannounced. Random searches of cargo and passengers is standard procedure for customs officials, and if the Argentine government had reason to suspect something was afoot of course they wouldn't give the Americans advance warning.
I can see five scenarios behind the whole incident:
- The plane was loaded with weapons and drugs knowingly and the US is now trying to cover its ass.
- The plane was loaded with weapons and drugs by a rogue element (somebody trying to perform a bit of smuggling on Uncle Sam's dime) and the US is now trying to buy time while it performs its own investigation.
- The plane was loaded with weapons and drugs as the result of an epic clerical error (or the error is that they got left off the manifest) and the US is buying time while it performs an investigation.
- A rogue element inside Argentine customs needs to cover its tracks and the plane made a convenient way to dispose of items that had gotten a little too hot.
- Somebody in the Argentine government with an axe to grind with the US planted the weapons and drugs. This person's superiors are patsies.
Finally, I (an American expat living in Argentina) find the rhetoric from the Argentine government, particularly President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, disquieting. The increasingly confrontational comments stemming from this incident and the Wikileaks documents make me wonder if Cristina is borrowing a page from Hugo Chavez's playbook: tough, anti-American rhetoric to generate support as a defender against a foreign power. (What better scapegoat than the world's lone superpower, especially since it has a well-earned reputation for unduly interfering with other nations.) Presidential elections are in October, after all.
Totally Off-Topic
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BZZZZZZZT Wrong!
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Given the reference to the presence of a letter written in Spansish saying something like "I am an American Soldier, please tell my country I have been Detained" and the fact that the drugs were expired morphine I think there are are only 2 possible explainations.
1) A crewmemer of the plane was planning on smuggling the drugs and got caught.
2) They, and the note, were part of the scheduled hostage training for a scenario using hostages taken by drug cartels.
I don't actually see any evidence in the article that says that the weapons were not part of the manifest or unexpected, just that they were present.
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How close is the relationship between the Kirchner government and those security forces? Are they really worried that the security forces might plan a coup? Possibly at the direction of the US?
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Certainly with the US's history in the reason it might be reasonable, however it is not exactly like we're trying to oppose a comminist state from forming there to prevent the Russians from getting a foothold on the Continent and lets face it, With Barak Obama in Office persuing regieme change in any country doesn't really seem like a foreign policy priority.
I guess how worried I'd be would be highly dependent on how independent the security forces were from political control, and how close a relationship those forces had with the US. Not because I think there is any reason to believe the US is trying to oust Kirchner, but rather because if the Security forces were and were buddy buddy with the US then it is possible that we would support them (possibly without the knowledge or consent of the President even) and not being at all close to the situation I have no idea how much of a risk that is.
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This post-9/11 "national security" bullshit just generates all kinds of good feelings and well wishes. Karma's a bitch, ain't she?
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Our track record in our own hemisphere is as crappy as it is anywhere else.
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Argentines sneaking a consignment of weapons and drugs onto a U.S. military aircraft?
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