First Tango in Buenos Aires

There was controversy when President Obama announced that after his visit to Cuba he would extend his trip by including Argentina in his itinerary. Argentine critics recalled dark days when United States foreign policy backed repressive and authoritarian governments in their country. American critics denounced the Obama visit as pandering to an Argentina that under previous presidents, Nestor Kirchner and his wife Christina Fernandez de Kirchner, joined in the leftward swing of Latin America, strictly limiting ties with the United States and joining forces with the leftist leaders of Venezuela and Brazil in their severe criticism of American imperialism in the region.

The political atmosphere was volatile in both countries, but President Obama came to Argentina and danced the tango, Argentina's national dance . . . and did it with style. Invited onto the dance floor by tango professionals who were part of the evening's entertainment at the conclusion of a state dinner with Argentina's new center-right President Mauricio Macri, Obama was tentative at first. However, he displayed considerable poise, proving he had some smooth moves to match his tango partner.

Tango is often described as a dance of the heart, a stylized courtship ritual, and that is precisely what characterized this meeting between heads of state. The Obama visit displayed a diplomatic adroitness designed to quiet antagonisms toward the United States and show support for President Macri's policy initiatives intended to stabilize the Argentine economy and bring new foreign investment into the country.

In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Argentina's horrifying "Dirty War," a period of military rule and state terrorism in Argentina in which tens of thousands of government opponents were "disappeared," Presidents Macri and Obama visited the Memorial Park that honors the victims of that violence. Each man silently dropped three white roses into the waters of the Rio de la Plata to honor the victims and acknowledge the loss that so many Argentine families have suffered. Obama also announced that the United States would declassify and release additional thousands of pages of records detailing American involvement with the military dictatorship during that era.

Beyond their private conversations, the two presidents sought to shore up relations between Argentina and the United States that had ranged from badly strained to stiffly formal over a span of decades. President Macri described the Obama visit as "the beginning of a new phase of mature, intelligent, constructive relations in which the only concern for us both is to improve the quality of life of our people." President Obama acknowledged that, "Under President Macri, Argentina is reassuming its traditional leadership role in the region and around the world. The United States stands ready to work with Argentina through this historic transition in any way that we can."