News of Agustino Fontevecchia

Agustino Fontevecchia

Sergio Massa: from buying time to running out of time

01-10-2022 07:00 No-one should doubt Massa’s courage in taking on the Economy Ministry at a time of extreme crisis, nor his ambition, despite claiming he’s taking his final steps in the political realm. He’s eyeing 2023 and 2027. Both Fernándezes know this, and they don’t like it.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Big tech

A Holy War is raging between Google, Facebook, and the media industry

24-09-2022 06:00 The power that Google, Facebook and a few other companies hold over the information ecosystem, where they’ve become the de facto gatekeepers, is troubling. Ultimately they've taken over an editorial role that used to be controlled by media companies, in particular news publishers.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

INTERVIEW

Luis Moreno Ocampo: ‘Death cannot be a political weapon’

22-09-2022 23:50 The upcoming film 'Argentina, 1985,' released nationwide this coming Thursday, recounts the events leading up to the Trial of the Military Juntas – a milestone in contemporary national history, as well as a model for the world, in which those chiefly responsible for the crimes against humanity committed during the brutal 1976-1983 dictatorship were convicted and sentenced. In an exclusive interview, Luis Moreno Ocampo, one of the prosecutors in the trial together with Julio Strassera, recalls that historic moment and shares his thoughts on contemporary Argentina.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS & ECONOMY

What do the Kirchnerites think of Massa?

16-09-2022 16:13 Why is Economy Minister Sergio Massa allowed to do what Martín Guzmán wasn’t? And furthermore, is the ex-Tigre mayor doing enough?

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Fernando André Sabag Montiel (glitch art)

Political analysis

Neo-Nazi memes and the conspiracy to kill Cristina

10-09-2022 02:00 Our level of distrust in democratic institutions, the media, and society in general is well documented and it follows certain global trends that have given rise to dangerous fringe organisations, particularly right-wingers, more broadly grouped by having been pushed toward the edges of the system.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Director Santiago Mitre with Luis Moreno Ocampo, one of the prosecutors in the famous Trial of the Juntas, at Perfil's offices in Barracas.

FEATURE INTERVIEW

Santiago Mitre: ‘I’m convinced of fiction’s capacity to transmit reality’

08-09-2022 10:07 Film director and screenwriter Santiago Mitre, 41, premiered his new film, 'Argentina, 1985,' at the Venice Festival last weekend, a feature which is a leading contender for the prestigious Golden Lion prize. This is the first time that the director has turned reality into a film and he chose as his subject a milestone for Argentina’s contemporary democracy – the trial of the military juntas of the dictatorship, with Ricardo Darín and Peter Lanzani in the key roles of the prosecutors Julio César Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS – ANALYSIS

Cristina 2023?

01-09-2022 15:28 Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has taken full advantage of her opportunity, shepherding the entire pan-Peronist front behind her as she flirts with a potential 2023 presidential candidacy.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner: a politically persecuted crook

27-08-2022 00:01 Argentina’s Judiciary is deeply political and impressively dexterous in shifting the sails to match the winds, whether it’s time to speed up or slow down.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

opinion and analysis

Blame the rich

19-08-2022 17:31 Weirdly enough it seems that several of the major constituents of the Frente de Todos have acknowledged that, at least for the time being, they are all in the same boat. And that boat appears adrift at sea.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Corruption & the courts

Carpetazo

12-08-2022 09:58 Political persecution through the Judiciary is a real thing in Argentina.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Superminister

Sergio Massa: from 'petty advantage' to 'saviour'?

01-08-2022 18:32 Sergio Massa has always been a divisive character, particularly within the ruling coalition, the Frente de Todos. Charismatic and energetic, he’s been accused of being overly opportunistic and extremely ambitious.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Social Tensions

Burnin’ and a-lootin’ tonight

26-07-2022 12:42 Social tensions in Argentina have experienced and in crescendo in tandem with the value of the alternative peso-dollar exchange rates which have been reaching record highs as of late—which means the value of the peso has never been lower—to the point where massive protests and looting are no longer out of the question.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Argentina’s opportunity

The opposite of drowning in a glass of water

15-07-2022 13:00 Argentina, eternally in crisis and trained in resilience, clearly has an opportunity, and the worsening of the situation may be pushing the country toward a resolution, even if certain politicians do all they can to resist it.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

The capitulation of Martín Guzmán and the struggle of Sergio Massa

09-07-2022 07:30 After a weekend of fury, a newly reconfigured power structure has been put in place that promises to keep us on our toes, with the vice-president continuing to gain territory.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Currency crisis

The fateful 30th month of the Fernández-Fernández administration

02-07-2022 07:00 President Alberto Fernández has been hit by a crippling run on the peso that has stretched out over several weeks during the 30th month of his Presidency, as an exhausted economic model has failed to generate confidence and Central Bank reserves.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Political economy

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s ‘stupid state,’ piqueteros and inflation

24-06-2022 10:53 A lot of what Argentina’s vice-president says appears sound, but when put in context, it becomes nothing more than a series of half-truths.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Market turbulence

Argentina, always playing on ‘hard mode’

18-06-2022 08:00 Just like during the Mauricio Macri days, a series of external shocks coupled with domestic weakness have made us aware of a troubling thunderstorm on the horizon.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Political dirt

The Kulfas saga and the never-ending Néstor Kirchner pipeline

10-06-2022 20:40 Kulfas was a thorny character for the Kirchnerites within the ruling Frente de Todos coalition from day one. One of the few 'Albertistas' in the Cabinet, he is said to have expressed President Fernández’s own view of the economy.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

Of white collar criminals and pissing off Peronists: the Macri card

03-06-2022 10:50 Once again we are witnessing the presidential campaign strategies in full swing.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

‘Unsalted eggs’ and Rodríguez Larreta’s fight against everyone (including Milei) for 2023

28-05-2022 00:54 Given Argentina’s particular electoral system, we have a three-round bout ahead of us.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS & ECONOMY

Can’t see the forest for the trees

21-05-2022 06:01 The internal struggles between Alberto and Cristina, along with the rift with the opposition, trivialise the issue of export duties and other much needed reforms that would allow Argentina to unlock its potential.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Paradigm shifts

Fear, uncertainty, doubt

14-05-2022 00:01 A paradigm shift for Argentina, global geopolitics, and cryptocurrencies.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

‘I’ve got the power!’

07-05-2022 00:19 There’s a civil war raging between President Alberto Fernández and his second-in-command, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner – and said conflict is tearing the ruling coalition apart at the seams.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

SOCIAL MEDIA SALE

Elon Musk’s Twitter Labyrinth

30-04-2022 01:17 Musk claims his intention is to guard Twitter’s role as “the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated” by protecting free speech. To do that he decided to buy the company for some US$44 billion and take it private.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

ANALYSIS

A bite of the digital apple

23-04-2022 00:01 The problem with Google and Faebook sucking the air out of the digital advertising market is that it has seriously deteriorated the quality of journalism worldwide.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Politics

Waiting for Alberto and Cristina to figure it out

15-04-2022 01:40 The civil war between the Albertistas and Kirchneristas has paralysed Argentina’s political agenda.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Politics

The ‘war’ against inflation – an Argentine classic

08-04-2022 23:30 Inflation has now become the key battleground for an embattled government that was naïve enough to declare a war against it as the world observes the brutal showdown between Russia and Ukraine.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

War of the Roses: an inevitable divorce for Alberto & Cristina?

01-04-2022 21:47 Plenty of scenarios have been circulating over the past several weeks as the ruling Frente de Todos coalition endures an internal civil war between Kirchneristas and Albertistas.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

ANALYSIS

It’s the inflation, dickhead

18-03-2022 21:00 In a country with a long history of uncontrollable price increases – including several bouts of hyperinflation – the last three administrations have failed miserably at controlling runaway price rises.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

ANALYSIS

Vaca Muerta: a failed opportunity that will cost Argentina

16-03-2022 21:13 When trying to explain why we fail as a country, look no further than the Vaca Muerta debacle.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

Putin’s war has laid many 21st-century paradigms to rest

04-03-2022 23:21 The fall of the Soviet Union and the end of modernism made us believe that mass warfare was no longer possible in ‘civilised’ places like Europe and the United States, where the major physical threat came from terrorism and global warming. Putin’s invasion has also laid that paradigm to rest.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Politics

Playing with fire

12-02-2022 09:27 Despite claims of an historical “Peronist third position,” the reality is Argentina has an impossible debt with the International Monetary Fund and it needs all the support it can get to restructure it.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

A conversation with Professor Stiglitz

04-02-2022 23:10 The strong show of political support for Guzmán’s negotiating techniques from one of the world’s most renowned economists is the mirror image of what he’s suffered internally, particularly within the ranks of Frente de Todos.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Argentina and the International Monetary Fund.

IMF DEBT TALKS

Guzmán’s wet dream

28-01-2022 22:14 It isn’t entirely clear whether this is a good or a bad agreement for Argentina, but there should be no doubts that the beleaguered nation needed to reach some sort of deal with the IMF ahead of an impossible debt calendar.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

It’s a curious thing how Argentina manages to invite itself to the ‘big boys’ table’ just as things are about to get hairy.

POLITICS: ANALYSIS

Argentina, trying to sit at the ‘big boys’ table’

21-01-2022 23:30 It’s a curious thing how Argentina manages to invite itself to the ‘big boys’ table’ just as things are about to get hairy.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Politics heating up

Hypocrisy rules!

15-01-2022 03:00 The heatwave that hit the Southern Hemisphere and Argentina with particular virulence this week seems to have fried the circuits of more than just the systems controlling the energy grid in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires

by Agustino Fontevecchia

PARTY POLITICS & REVENGE

‘The Foot,’ the ‘Gestapo,’ and the dark basements of Argentina’s democracy

07-01-2022 22:56 Cristina and her acolytes abused the Judiciary to rid themselves of problems during their tenure. Unfortunately, Macri’s Cambiemos coalition followed in their exact same footsteps, despite having won elections on an anti-corruption platform.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

The end of Kirchnerism?

31-12-2021 10:55 The question of Kirchnerism’s resilience pierces the socio-political-economic ecosystem in Argentina, and will help determine the near future of the beleaguered nation.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM

The great dichotomy

10-12-2021 23:33 Journalism is still in the middle of its transformation into a new discipline, and media companies continue to face a critical situation, particularly in Argentina where economic crisis is the norm.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

ECONOMIC CRISES

2001 to 2021: Ticking time bomb

03-12-2021 23:41 Fast forward to today from 2001 and Argentina’s massive debt pile is still front and centre of the political discussion, as is the IMF and the possibility of default.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

post-election politics

Check yo’ self before you wreck yo’ self

26-11-2021 23:13 With the election behind us, time for a deal with the IMF is running out. Argentina must make an interest payment in December and faces a tough payment calendar in the first quarter of 2022 that it is unable to face.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

ELECTIONS 2021: ANALYSIS

How to freak out the IMF, an Argentine story

20-11-2021 11:55 It is difficult to fathom an IMF that will ink a deal with a nation that upholds dual exchange rates, price controls, relentless monetary expansion, and massive energy and utility subsidies in the context of perpetual deficits and extremely high inflation.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Heightened uncertainty

Deep in the rabbit hole, Argentina searches for its soul

12-11-2021 22:17 Once the dust settles, Argentina will find itself deeper in the rabbit hole it has lived in for nearly a century and with even less margin than it had in the past.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Greenwashing?

Overseas trips and the green agenda

05-11-2021 17:59 Argentina’s international agenda had moderate pretensions. President Fernández needed to show himself as the proactive leader of a country that has a say in world affairs, even if we don’t.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Digital dystopia

The lies behind Zuckerberg’s Meta & Google’s Goodness

29-10-2021 23:37 It is clear that the level of complexity behind managing and supervising content on the Facebook family of products is extreme, yet Zuckerberg simply doesn’t seem interested in it.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Politics

The ‘Pact’

22-10-2021 21:58 The real question isn’t about macroeconomics or philosophy, but rather about whether Team Mauricio and Team Cristina can actually leave aside their differences and work together.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Politics

The Berni Headlock and the Cristina Shake

16-10-2021 00:01 Whether on purpose or not, the pan-Peronist coalition led by Alberto Fernández and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is trying to drag the conversation away from the economic failures during their tenure in an attempt to claw back votes.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Facebook’s dilemma

How to evade taxes while being a major global corporation in a globalised and digital world

09-10-2021 11:55 Facebook, Google, Amazon, and the largest technology companies out there, most of them headquartered in Silicon Valley but registered in tax havens like Ireland, have long bent the rules in order to innovate, but also to their own benefit.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

Filthy, dirty, sexy (monopoly) money

01-10-2021 23:04 Frente de Todos will put out all the stops to win back disillusioned voters in Peronist strongholds that didn’t go out to vote.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Chaos In Power

Vive la résistance?

24-09-2021 21:44 Minister Guzmán’s courage and President Alberto’s newfound heroism could be part of the ‘resistance’ against the onslaught of Kirchnerism within the ranks of the Frente de Todos.

by Agustino Fontevecchia