Argentina's President Fends Off Challenges From the Intelligence Service
Editor's Note: Several significant developments in Argentina's widening political scandal came to light after this piece was originally published Feb. 3. Investigators found the draft of an arrest warrant for President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in the home of a dead prosecutor -- who reportedly was planning to give details of a political cover-up involving Fernandez to Congress the day after his body was found. The 26-page document, discovered in the trash, also demanded the arrest of Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman. The prosecutor, Alberto Nisman, reportedly was set to reveal information that showed Fernandez and other officials colluded with Iran to cover up its role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced Jan. 26 that she would reform her country's civilian intelligence organization, the Intelligence Secretariat (SI). Soon after, the office of the president said it would submit a draft law to reform the SI to the Senate on Feb. 3. In addition to changing the organization's name to the Federal Intelligence Agency, the reform is expected to significantly weaken the SI by limiting its ability to gather signals intelligence, revealing a wider political dispute.
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Fernandez's motivations for reforming the SI are not completely clear, but concerns that criminal charges could be brought against her and other members of the government once they leave office might have been a factor. Moreover, though the reform appears to be immediately motivated by concerns over the SI's loyalty to Fernandez, it may significantly affect how the Argentine security apparatus functions long after her term in office ends.
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