POLITICS – ANALYSIS A busy week for corruption 14-12-2024 05:37 Edgardo Kueider’s situation is explicit, bombastic. But not uncommon in Argentine politics. by Agustino Fontevecchia
MILEI'S FIRST YEAR Milei’s self-congratulatory maiden year 07-12-2024 00:36 A year in, Milei is surfing the wave of popularity, feeling invincible as he receives the constant attention of the international media, which in turn feeds his ego even further. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS The ecstasy of Javier Milei 30-11-2024 05:48 Things look rosy for the libertarians at this juncture, encouraging them to become even more ambitious. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS ‘Fat Dan’ and libertarian childishness 23-11-2024 06:00 The childish attitudes of Milei 'troll army' come as the government has regained momentum in opinion polls. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Javier Milei’s obsession with sub-aquatic flatulence 16-11-2024 06:34 Is the economy rising like scuba diver flatulence? It doesn’t really matter, as long as Milei says it does, and a substantial portion of society believes him. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Move over Javi, the Big Boss is back 09-11-2024 06:24 The return of Donald Trump, the undisputed 'top dog' of the new right, will consolidate a global movement that, up until now, appeared to be somewhat disjointed. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Zurdos de mierda 02-11-2024 06:52 Language is viral, particularly in hyper-connected urban societies, and is particularly sticky among the youth. Indeed, it is probably the first frontier in trying to permeate the consciousness of a population, and therefore the frontline of the culture war. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Macri and Milei’s ‘special kind of psychology’ 26-10-2024 06:01 Macri knows he’s in a position of weakness. Milei and his libertarian horde swept his electorate and forced the fracture of his Juntos por el Cambio coalition. But despite lending his votes, the former president and his team have been excluded. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Veto power! Milei’s ‘caste-like’ adaptations 12-10-2024 06:04 Milei’s libertarians took on two of the most sensitive issues in Argentine politics – our grannies and public education – and successfully came out of the bout on top without sparking an uprising. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Laughing and crying at the same time 05-10-2024 05:51 A joker of sorts, Santiago Caputo seems to always be looking for ways to “troll” his audience. One example could be his boss’ recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly, in which multiple paragraphs were “copy-pasted” direct out of an episode of The West Wing. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Is Milei's star beginning to fade? 28-09-2024 06:55 The first economist to become president in Argentina, he is banking on a rebound that has remained elusive thus far. The risks will only increase until people begin to feel the improvement by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS & THE MEDIA Press freedom in Argentina in the age of Javier Milei 21-09-2024 06:43 Milei, a by-product of the media ecosystem, has taken specific actions to curb press freedom, attacking the industry’s finances and limiting journalists’ access to information. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Mixed signals 14-09-2024 06:43 It is clear that Milei and his team have the necessary tools to negotiate, when they want to. But doing so exposes them to caste-like behaviour, which is in turn exposed by their opponents. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Lilia Lemoine and the strange libertarian underworld 07-09-2024 05:02 Gossip-worthy scandal in the Casa Rosada just adds fuel to the fire. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Selling your soul to the devil? 31-08-2024 05:40 Macri and Milei are still feeling each other out, much like heavyweight boxers who dance around each other throwing light jabs for fear of being hit with an uppercut. All of which begs the question, who will stab the other one in the back first? by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Milei the filling in a Macri-CFK sandwich 24-08-2024 05:57 Once again, when it seemed that the government had things under control, chaos erupts onto the scene. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS The excommunication of Alberto Fernández 17-08-2024 06:35 In Argentina’s hazy political ecosystem, there should be little doubt that bad actors are always present behind the scenes. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Corruption starts with K 03-08-2024 13:58 Shortly after the restructuring of the spy agency, the Milei administration signed an emergency decree giving it an additional 120 billion pesos, roughly US$100 million. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Purist anarcho-capitalist Mileism 27-07-2024 14:03 Past experience isn’t a prerequisite when you have “the strength that comes from heaven on your side.” by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS- ANALYSIS Treason and betrayal 23-07-2024 14:58 The Milei administration is stuck between a rock and a hard place. It needs to deliver economic results, fast. It risks seeing its public support begin to drop, which would reduce the government’s credibility and therefore erode their capacity to enact policy. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Milei the preacher 13-07-2024 07:24 For now, President Milei retains his popularity, but it seems as if the model is beginning to run out of steam. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Milei under pressure for the first time 06-07-2024 05:59 If the doubts regarding Milei’s capacity to preside over Argentina were tied to governability risk, Caputo’s are connected to credibility risk: it’s difficult to see how the current policy framework can be sustainable in time. by Agustino Fontevecchia
OPINION & ANALYSIS From attempted murder to an attempted coup 29-06-2024 04:52 Fernando Sabag Montiel is a consequence of an exhausted political and economic system in Argentina, while Milei has emerged as a response to that same failure. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Turning-point or anarcho-capitalist illusion? 22-06-2024 05:52 The outsider – who by definition was politically weak – is proving to be more resilient than his more traditional peers. Milei’s emergence in Argentina’s political ecosystem already marks a turning-point. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Javier Milei and a tale of two Caputos 15-06-2024 06:20 President Milei’s administration has inaugurated a novel political dynamic in Argentina: unleashing an attack against their adversaries, almost breaking down any possibility of collaboration, before agreeing at the last second to concessions. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS The political commissar, the sister and President Milei’s only friend 08-06-2024 05:32 With the expulsion of Nicolás Posse, Santiago Caputo becomes the only non-family member with a say in President Javier Milei’s inner circle. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Milei’s punctuated pragmatism and Karina, the hidden genius 01-06-2024 05:59 Karina Milei has emerged as a sort of Machivellian genius, pulling the strings of the government and the political ecosystem with the apparent dexterity of a pro. by Agustino Fontevecchia
MILEI & THE NEW RIGHT ‘Rockstar’ Milei just loves to travel 25-05-2024 06:52 For the frenetic Milei, there is no time to waste … as long as his public image remains shielded from the vicissitudes of day-to-day life, then the show must go on. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS The Milei paradox 18-05-2024 06:08 Rather than fixing what is broken, Milei wants to incinerate it and build anew. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Javier Milei: in love with the ‘cowboy caste’ 11-05-2024 06:37 There is clearly some sort of infatuation with the President and his Austrian economic ideology, along with Argentina. And the global culture war and Milei’s positioning to the right of the spectrum make him even more attractive. by Agustino Fontevecchia
INTERVIEW WITH WORLDCOIN BOSS Alex Blania: ‘In the next few years, thousands of humans will fall deeply in love with an AI’ 10-05-2024 12:51 The CEO of Tools for Humanity, the company behind Worldcoin, on technology and ethics, Artificial Intelligence and the use of private data. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Milei’s calculated risks 04-05-2024 05:27 It’s not the first time Milei has decided to play ball and look for support beyond the tight borders of his La Libertad Avanza coalition. It shouldn’t be read purely as a strategic change – rather a tactical manoeuvre. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS The first ‘real world’ punch for Javier Milei 27-04-2024 05:00 The government’s response to the march in defence of the public university system was similar to their usual approach, but the impact wasn’t the same – the social agenda appears to have finally sided against Milei on a major issue. by Agustino Fontevecchia
INTERVIEW James Rubin: 'China is supporting Russia's war in Ukraine and repeating its crazy arguments' 20-04-2024 05:24 China is supporting “materially, diplomatically, and even repeating Russia’s crazy arguments for this war,” says James Rubin, the United States’ top diplomat in charge of battling disinformation abroad. by Agustino Fontevecchia
CULTURE WARS The perfect enemy for Javier Milei 13-04-2024 05:28 The president, his inner circle, and the Cabinet have become extremely selective regarding the outlets and journalists they speak to, with Milei only giving interviews to friendly reporters who lob softballs at him. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Attitudinal shifts and the risks of upheaval 06-04-2024 06:24 Milei’s “negative rhetoric,” sustained by his synthetic power, is useful in setting the agenda, but it doesn’t put food on the table. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS The calm before the storm? 30-03-2024 06:07 The depth and severity of the recession that the plan put together by Economy Minister Luis ‘Toto’ Caputo will bring is beginning to reveal its impact. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Emperor of the Argentine Republic? 23-03-2024 06:32 In a country obsessed with dark priests that roam Government House with differing levels of influence on the upper echelons of the political class, Santiago Caputo has walked into his role perfectly. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Meme politics, tackling price hikes and Milei’s North Star 16-03-2024 06:31 President Milei understands that he needs to deliver slowing inflation and the beginning of an economic rebound if he is to have a chance at truly governing the country. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS The joy of being Javier Milei and the threat of ostracism 09-03-2024 06:43 Milei needs his plan to move from the whiteboard — and social media — to the realpolitik realm of Argentina’s traditional power structure, either from within or by trampling over it. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS A mix of amateurism and strategy 02-03-2024 05:19 The Milei-Caputo plan is trying to hammer down inflation through a painful recession, hoping that once the numbers begin to look encouraging, expectations will help spark a bonanza of investment and ultimately growth. It’s a risky strategy. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS ‘Synthetic’ in a world in flux: Milei faces a political defeat 10-02-2024 00:36 What will the near-future of the Milei administration look like after having effectively demolished bridges with the “moderate” opposition that sought to offer a helping hand? by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Living on the edge 03-02-2024 06:23 It feels as if the president is pushing the boundaries of negotiations beyond reasonable points. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS & ECONOMY The limits of Milei’s ‘synthetic power’ 27-01-2024 09:19 While his digital energy can be translated into real world power, Javier Milei and his team must be careful not to confuse their popularity with actual muscle. by Agustino Fontevecchia
MILEI @ DAVOS To communicate is to meme: the politician as a social media influencer 20-01-2024 08:52 In a digital ecosystem characterised by infinite reach, the conditions of success are defined in relation to the capacity to go viral. And probably the most effective way for that to happen is to become a meme that is retweeted by Elon Musk. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS Instant democracy and turbo-politics in the age of Milei 13-01-2024 06:58 No-one can predict how long Javier Milei’s honeymoon period will last, but it does appear to be softening a bit. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS The ‘right plan,’ the ‘only plan,’ or ‘no plan’? 06-01-2024 07:33 Either Milei is a daredevil convinced he’ll make it out alive, he has no choice and is winging it, or he’s got a couple of cards up his sleeve that we’re not seeing. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Milei knows the clock is ticking 31-12-2023 17:53 While the political class and the media have spent days debating the DNU emergency decree and the so-called “omnibus” law which seeks to fully deregulate the economy, whether it is constitutional or not, and whether it conforms with the processes and best practices of democracy, the real issue lies elsewhere – how long will society be able to tolerate such an aggressive correction? by Agustino Fontevecchia
Emergency decree controversy Milei’s bluff 23-12-2023 06:16 Praised for his moderation and pragmatism over the last several weeks, the self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist has now put in place a series of controversial measures which have divided public opinion. by Agustino Fontevecchia
POLITICS & ECONOMY Milei the pragmatist and Toto’s ‘caputazo’ 16-12-2023 06:06 The ‘caputazo’ replaced pure austerity with a mix of higher taxes together with spending cuts and the “dilution” of part of the deficit through high inflation. The next few months will see runaway inflation run even farther away and put intense pressure on the population, as wages and salaries fall even farther behind. by Agustino Fontevecchia
