Throughout the past two years or so the United States has been in the midst of a slight recession. Though some people may believe that things could not get worse than they are, there are some people in the world not as fortunate as we are, even considering our economic decline.

For those who keep hearing all the news about the Middle East and the “war” with Iraq, you may not know people in other parts of this hemisphere are facing some very serious problems. These unfortunate souls are part of what used to be the most developed and possibly the wealthiest country in Latin America.

Just recently, thousands of Argentines finished three days of peaceful protest, during which they marched for things like food, jobs and social benefits. This newly impoverished country has gone through leaders rapidly, including a stint earlier this year in which Argentina went through five presidents in a two-week period.

For many students here, the depression the United States is in the midst of may seem bad, especially because we’re coming off nearly eight years of continued economic growth. In comparison, the recession in Argentina is far worse than many here could possibly imagine.

For starters, unemployment has gotten to a phenomenal rate: 22 percent, or more than one out of every five persons, is without a job. To make matters worse, nearly half of the nation’s 37 million people are now living below the poverty line.

In some areas it has gotten so bad that there has been an outbreak of deaths among babies who were malnourished because their families were unable to make enough money to provide food for everyone. The hard time in the economy has not just affected the people but is also beginning to wear on the government.

By combining the hard times of the government with the grand economical problems, it appears Argentina is set up to be the next in line for dictatorial control. As Argentines begin to get more desperate for some kind of escape from their problems, they may also get desperate enough to turn to extremists in their attempt to correct the nation’s ills.

We have seen similar situations occur throughout history, the end results of which were the United States winding up turning against the country because the dictatorship does not work in the efficient (or in some cases, democratic) fashion the United States does.

The most prevalent example of this is Cuba. The original government was democratic and capitalism-friendly, which bred an influx of casinos and American industries during the early and middle parts of the 20th century. However, many of the impoverished residents were tired of putting up with the government and began a rebellion. The end result: in 2002, we’re still hoping one day we will be able to easily buy plane tickets for a fishing trip in Havana.

While the United States has decided to spend a vast deal of time discussing the idea of war with Iraq, perhaps they should try restoring stability to the economic systems on our side of the world. It may not be “our” problem right now; however, righting this economy will not only provide assurance that the country won’t become more problematic in the future, but also helps us gain an ally that will be there for years to come.

Not only would spending their money to help a nation get back on its feet be a better way to spend millions of dollars, but it would probably get much more support and backing from people across the world.

The United States needs to stop spending so much time worrying about a want-to-be leader and the weapons he most likely cannot produce, and instead worry about the well-being of those on this side of the world: a country whose prospects at the beginning of the 19th century looked as bright as ours, but who fell to a sad misfortune they couldn’t control.

Joey Maresca is a junior in computer and electrical engineering and can be reached for comment at [email protected].