Argentina's enlightened chief-of-staff

Twenty years ago, the Argentine military personified state terror. In the "dirty war" that began in 1976, more than 10,000 Argentines vanished into the military's concentration camps, suffered unspeakable torture, and were never seen again. Today the Argentine military is professional and respectful of human rights and civilian control. The largest challenge to Latin America's new democratic leaders is how to control their militaries; the Argentine transformation, led by army Chief-of- Staff Martin Balza, deserves their attention.

Balza carries authority within the military in part because of his conduct during the Falkland War of 1982, in which he was a genuine hero and then a prisoner of British forces. He first sprang to world notice last April with an extraordinary televised address in which he acknowledged that the military tortured, killed, and stole during the dirty war, and said that soldiers who gave or followed immoral orders were committing crimes. (He himself spent the worst years of the war studying in Peru.) The speech helped push Argentina's president, Carlos Menem, to abandon his defense of the military's dirty war conduct. Balza had been preaching strict adherence to the constitution and civil authorities for years.

Since taking over the army in 1991, he has brought important reforms. It is now a volunteer army, and women are soldiers. Half the students at the new Army University are civilians, and it has an almost all-civilian staff, countering the military's historic tendency to function in a self-enclosed bubble. The army is also a frequent participant in foreign peacekeeping missions. In Cyprus, Argentine troops have served in close association with troops from Britain, Argentina's historic enemy and the victor in the Falklands.

Today it is hard to find active-duty Argentine officers who identify themselves with the repressive military of the dirty war. Predictions are dangerous in a country that has seen 11 military coups in the last century, but experts say that civilian control of the military is stronger today than ever in Argentine history.

There is no better indication of the value of Balza's ideas than the harsh criticism they have drawn from military leaders in other Latin nations. But the response inside Argentina proves they can attract military support. They are good for the citizenry, good for constitutional government and, ultimately, good for the military establishments themselves.

-- The New York Times