Abstract

JEMIO, Ana Sofía. From Communism to Subversion: The Enemy Within in Argentine Army Regulations (1964-1977). Secuencia [online]. 2022, n.112, e1854.  Epub Mar 07, 2022. ISSN 2395-8464.  https://doi.org/10.18234/secuencia.v0i112.1854.

This article analyzes the concept of the enemy within as defined by the Argentine Army regulations in the 1960s and 1970s. The first set of regulations, approved in the 1960s, was the point of arrival of a doctrinal renewal incorporating French and North American teachings. The key documents of this stage were replaced in the 1970s, when the previous teachings were reformulated and the doctrine that would be in force during the Argentine genocide was systematized. Breaks and continuities can be detected between these sets of documents. The concept of the enemy within, which shifted from communism to subversion, was eliminated, yet there was also a common structure that enabled and legitimized both the persecution of so-called enemies and the control and surveillance of the population. The article contributes to the study of military doctrines and thereby to the study of the logics and forms of state violence.

Keywords : military Doctrine: enemy within; Argentina; counterinsurgency; armed forces.