Argentina
Andres Vernazza
International Business: BUS357
04/09/2015
Introduction
Its official name is: Argentine Republic, in Spanish “ República
Argentina”; according ly, it is a federal republic. Argentina is a ver y interesting
country with a diverse culture in sports, music, and food. It is the largest
Spanish–speaking countr y, and it is the eight largest in the world. Argentina is
located in southeastern South America. In this paper we will study and
understand Argentinean culture and its characteristics, and finally comprehend
why it is an emerging economic power in Latin America.
Government
Accordingly to its Constitution, Argentina is a democratic republic, in
which the president is the head of the government and state. The current
president is Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, she is the second wo man to serve
as president of Argentina, and this is her second term after reelection in
October 2011. There are three main powers in Argentinean government: the
executive power; which is exercised b y the President; the legislative power
which is vested in both the Executiv e and the National Congress; and fina lly
the Judiciary power, which is independent from the Executive and from the
Legislature powers to create a more fair system (1968).
On the other hand, from 1974 to 1983 Argentina was under a dictatorial
government ruled b y the Military Armed Forces. This period of time was a very
sad moment in Argentinean history and was started because of state terrorism.
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Terrorist forces fought against the democratic government with the objective of
creating a socialist government. However, military repression and violence
took over control. Finally, after democratic government was restored, victims
from the war were co mpensated. Nevertheless, this wound is still open in the
memory of family members of that period of time (Osorio, 2003).
Culture and customs
Sports
Argentina has one of the best soccer teams in the world; accordingly
most Argentineans love soccer. The Argentine national soccer team won two
World Cups, in 1978 and 1986 respectively. Furthermore, they got a second
place in the last world cup held in Brazil. Argen tina has some famous racing–
car drivers, such as Juan Manuel Fangio and Carlos Reutemann; however, both
of them are retired now. Rugby is another very popular sport in Argentina; “the
Pumas” is the name of the national team. Basketball, Volleyball, Hockey,
Boxing, Polo and Tennis are also popular sports, but not as the previous ones
stated. For instance, in tennis David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro are
current players with outstanding performances in the world ranking.
Cuisine
Argentinean food has a ver y strong European (mostl y Mediterranean) and
indigenous influence. It has a variety of dishes, but the mos t typical food is the
“asado” which is a specific t ype of meat cooked on top of burning ashes on a
wood grill. In add ition, the most popular desert is “dulce de leche”, which is a
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jelly made with sugar and milk. For most part of Argentineans, lunch is the
most important meal of the da y. Accordingly, most businesses close at lunch
time to enjo y a family meal.
Indigenous peoples
There are still some indigenous peoples in Argentina; however, they are
less than 1.49% of the total population; that is around 600,000 Amerindians
declared Mapuche, Kolla, Toba, Guaraní, Wichí, Diaguita, Mocoví, or Huarpe
peoples. In total, there are 35 types of Argentinean Americans (or Native
Argentines) in the country; th is is counting all the ethnical mixtures. Finally,
as of 2011 man y natives were still being denied land and human rights, but
nongovernmental organizations are fighting everyday to make things fairer for
these people, and get equilibrium without povert y (Von & Wilde, 2010).
Political Environment
Politics
Argentina is ruled b y its constitution; accordingly, the constitution
defines it as: “federal presidential representative democratic republic”.
Elections are held every five years and are based on a multi–party system.
Government Structure
Executive branch: the Chief and Head of Government is in charg e of this
power.
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Legislative branch: this power is based on a bicameral Congress, which
consists of a Senate (72 members) and a Chamber of Deputies (257
members).
Judiciary branch: this power is composed of federal judges and a
Supreme Court (9 members).
Falklands War
Argentina’s more recent war when it got defeated was the Falklands War
of 1982 against the United Kingdom. This conflict was carried during years
when Argentina was ruled by a dictatorship. Accordingly, it lasted only 3
months, but it was enough to take many soldiers’ lives, with a total of 649
Argentineans, 255 British soldiers, and 3 civilians. Currentl y, there is still
