According to polls, the circumstances surrounding the Nisman case have dealt a severe blow to confidence in the Kirchner government and the country’s judicial and intelligence institutions. Nisman, who had been investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, was found dead one day before he was expected to testify before congress about his accusations against president Kirchner and others in the government. What is the significance of the current moment and what does it reveal about Argentina’s politics and institutions?  How has the government handled the situation, and how have the political class and Argentine society responded?  To what extent will the polarization and tensions produced by the Nisman case affect the political outlook in advance of next October’s presidential elections, especially in light of the country’s economic problems?

Speakers

• Santiago Cantón
  Executive Director, RFK Partners for Human Rights
• Dina Siegel Vann
  Director, AJC’s Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institue for Latino and Latin American Affairs
• Hector Schamis
  Columnist, El País