News of Agustino Fontevecchia

Agustino Fontevecchia

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

Santiago Caputo: Jester, joker or danger?

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

Karina Milei, Santiago Caputo and Victoria Villaruel

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

Argentina's litigation risks – graphic prepared by Latam Advisors.

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

From the attempted murder of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to an attempted coup in Bolivia.

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

Inflection point or anarcho-capitalist illusion?

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

Santiago Caputo, Javier Milei, Luis Caputo.

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

Santiago Caputo: the political commissar.

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

Santiago Caputo, Javier Milei and Karina Milei.

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

Tech entrepreneur Alex Blania is the CEO of Tools for Humanity, the company behind Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency project that pays humans for a scan of their iris.

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

James Rubin, US State Department Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center.

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

NEW ERA FOR ARGENTINA

Milei and a libertarian’s wet dream

09-12-2023 05:45 Is Milei’s ambitious reform package possible in today’s Argentina? Not only does his La Libertad Avanza coalition lack congressional muscle, but both of its negotiating partners are deeply fragmented, muddying the legislative front.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

Milei enjoys peak honeymoon phase

02-12-2023 14:48 While serious doubts remain, Argentina’s president-elect is acting carefully and strategically in the conformation of his cabinet and government, seemingly betting on experience over ideology. Once the glow begins to dim and his “chainsaw” austerity plan is in full force, what Milei will face the music?

by Agustino Fontevecchia

ELECTIONS 2023 – ANALYSIS

Living in Milei’s world

25-11-2023 14:22 These initial steps are positive in maintaining the situation from blowing up but they are insufficient in and of themselves. Not only would this cordiality and cooperation have to be maintained over time, Milei’s strategy would actually have to work.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

ELECTIONS 2023 – ANALYSIS

Already in unchartered territory

18-11-2023 06:55 The emergence of Javier Milei and his libertarian coalition, La Libertad Avanza, has happened in tandem with a fatal erosion of the bonds holding Argentina’s hegemonic coalitions together.

by Agustino Fontevecchia