News of Agustino Fontevecchia

Agustino Fontevecchia

Massa on fire

25-03-2023 05:01 It’s been clear for some time now that Massa’s plan to resist through Peronist gradualism could reach a limit in terms of how many sources of fresh funds he’ll be able to conjure up.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

ANALYSIS

Panic in Silicon Valley

18-03-2023 03:12 The global economy has stepped on another landmine. Increased instability will hurt Argentina, as it did after 2008.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS – ANALYSIS

Convicted of corruption, Cristina remains as magnetic as ever

11-03-2023 05:23 The vice-president has undoubtedly been the star of Argentina’s political ecosystem over the last couple of decades.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

NEWS MEDIA & JOURNALISM

A day of reckoning for journalism in the age of polarisation

25-02-2023 06:22 We live in a post-modern world where trust for traditional institutions has been receding for quite some time. When it comes to journalism there are no doubts that we are in the midst of a crisis that goes beyond the economic situation of news publishers, broadcasters, and radio stations.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

The good and the bad of ChatGPT and AI for the information ecosystem

ChatGPT & ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The horror and the beauty of ChatGPT

18-02-2023 06:39 A recent wave of excitement, fear and even dystopian predictions has taken over as users have become massively exposed to ChatGPT. Ultimately it’s not about the technology but how we put it to work as individuals, groups and society as a whole.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICAL ANALYSIS

The ornithology of Frente de Todos and Juntos por el Cambio

11-02-2023 07:00 Argentina has been locked in a bi-coalitionism over the past several electoral periods, but the novel element this time around is the internal fragmentation of both spaces.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Global economic outlook

From impending catastrophe to moderately optimistic?

04-02-2023 06:09 Just as the global economy was heading into an unavoidable recession, sentiment seems to have been reversed and optimism is taking over.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Sergio Massa & Alberto Fernández and Mauricio Macri & Horacio Rodríguez Larreta?

POLITICAL ANALYSIS

Secret pacts between Massa & Alberto and Macri & Rodríguez Larreta

28-01-2023 01:19 Have the tables turned on Cristina Fernández de Kirchner? Public and private information indicates that Alberto Fernández and Sergio Massa have an explicit agreement regarding the 2023 presidential election.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Plan Massa

Peronist gradualism

21-01-2023 05:46 Once again Sergio Massa has taken the spotlight. As the electoral year gets going, he seems to be placing his bets on managing to bring inflation down while keeping the economy in positive territory to become the main candidate for the pan-Peronist coalition, Frente de Todos.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Bull vs. bear

Is it Massa, the bull market, or are we about to implode again?

14-01-2023 06:25 We are not walking on the edge of the precipice, but we’re still awfully close, and a small breeze could be enough to destabilise us.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

ARGENTINA: WORLD CHAMPIONS

Messi, Scaloni and the arduous reconstruction of ‘La Selección’

23-12-2022 15:21 Off the pitch Messi showed the leadership, passion, and even aggression that Argentines have always asked of him. He has finally become a prophet in his homeland.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS – ANALYSIS

Operation ‘spook’

17-12-2022 06:00 With inflation running near 100 percent and an economy that could grind to a halt given a structural lack of hard currency, optimism is reserved for the brave.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

LAGO ESCONDIDO SCANDAL

There are no coincidences in the Hidden Lake

10-12-2022 06:41 There is nothing inherently criminal in having these magistrates and officials accept an invitation to a public retreat from an interest group that happens to be the country’s largest media conglomerate. The issue here is ethical.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Vialidad: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Diego Luciani.

POLITICS – ANALYSIS

Climax

03-12-2022 05:41 The court judging the ‘Vialidad’ case is expected to reach a verdict that will condemn the former president in some sort of way, validating the accusations of corruption against her, Kirchnerite businessman Lázaro Báez and several government officials.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Politics & corruption

Sergio Berni walks the line as the coalitions bend

26-11-2022 06:26 Sergio Berni is once again walking on the edge of a tightrope, a situation he knows all too well.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

HUMAN RIGHTS & MEMORY

The Trial of the Juntas: a moment worth remembering

19-11-2022 06:56 With the passing of time, ‘El Diario del Juicio’ has become one of the most important historical sources for those studying the trial.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Political relativity

Time slows down in the Argentina of the Fernandezes, Massa & Macri

12-11-2022 07:09 Over the last few months, it’s felt as if time has slowed down in Argentina, once again.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Politics

Eliminating the primaries: Cristina & Alberto’s new face-off

05-11-2022 06:50 The debate regarding the suspension of Argentina’s controversial PASO primaries is dictated by the personal interests of the involved parties.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS / ANALYSIS

The hypocrisy of calling for consensus in an era of polarisation

29-10-2022 06:00 The distance between what politicians say in public and their actions is incredibly large, and it’s not clear whether this is a prerequisite or a consequence of the profession.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

On 'Fake news'

The weaponisation of information in Latin America

22-10-2022 06:00 Disinformation is not new and has been used for millennia. Yet its digital iteration harnesses the power of the Internet which has brought together the largest and most interconnected communications network in the history of humanity.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Analysis: Rodríguez Larreta 2023

The Mayor

15-10-2022 06:01 While Horacio Rodríguez Larreta represents a centrist tendency in Argentine politics, the true protagonists are still Macri and Cristina.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

Politics

Bolsonaro and Manes: the victors in Brazil and Argentina?

08-10-2022 07:00 While President Alberto Fernández and his boss Cristina, both Lula fanboys, could celebrate another victory for the “progressives” of Latin America, the true reasons to raise a glass could have more to do with what’s happening in the Argentine opposition.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

POLITICS

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