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Scilingo: Machiavellian View Of The Dirty War

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The Dirty War pushed the Argentinian military to take an unprecedented stance against the ‘subversives’ that they were facing. It is interesting to note the rational that the soldiers used in order to follow the Navy’s gruesome orders: disposing prisoners by drugging and throwing them off planes. Scilingo's confession reveals two main tactics that allowed the soldiers to carry out these orders—Military authority and a Machiavellian view of the Dirty War. Scilingo mentions that “when the order was received, it wasn’t spoken of again. It was carried out automatically” (24). The Navy’s authority was so great over the soldiers that they didn’t dare go against them. The orders that came from above were seen as the best option for Argentina. These orders held such weight that the few soldiers that did go against them were labeled as traitors. …show more content…

Scilingo says that, at the time, these orders were “using the means at hand...” (30). For the military, any means were to be taken in order to protect Argentina from the subversives. While the soldiers, including Scilingo, were not all comfortable with these acts, they carried them out because they believed they were protecting Argentina. Their devotion towards Argentina overpowered their morals and ethics. Another component that aided in this justification was also the Christian rhetoric. Scilingo called these killings a Christian death and compares it to communion. Having the church’s approval helped the soldiers further justify their actions. The church served to decide what was right or wrong during the Dirty War. During the Dirt War, the soldiers believed that they were doing the right thing and serving their

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