BEYOND THE HEADLINES Ironies of FATE Yesterday 06:05 Tensions between the liberal right and the nationalistic right could start to make themselves felt here. by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT Westerners looking for a way out 14-02-2026 06:12 Trump and others who hope to emulate him are reactionaries. They tell their compatriots that they want their countries to go back to what they were half a century or so ago before the rot set in, hence the promise to make them “great again.” by James Neilson
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Molotov cocktails and circumstantial majorities 14-02-2026 06:12 The arts of politics the President despises once again gives his government political momentum, as it did during its first year. Once again, they have a chance to keep the ball rolling, but the secret is to keep the president’s mouth (relatively) shut in order not to pick a fight with its allies. by Agustino Fontevecchia
ANALYSING ARGENTINA Be my market valentine, Milei 14-02-2026 02:09 Milei risks being carried away by ideology, opening the economy too much and too fast, over-appreciating the peso (again) and leaving too many sectors hurt at home. by Marcelo J. García
BEYOND THE HEADLINES Lies, damned lies and statistics 07-02-2026 00:04 The blow to confidence from this institutionally messy political interference in the formation of statistics (even if child’s play compared to the Kirchnerite fudging of the figures) remains to be seen. by Michael Soltys
OPINION & ANALYSIS Ideology over technique – Milei government’s banned glossary 26-01-2026 09:09 Invisible lists of uncomfortable words have started to affect different state bodies. When the state starts to cross out words, it does not correct language: it foolishly attempts to correct reality. by Juan Cruz Soqueira
INTELLIGENCE SERVICES Milei decree reshapes SIDE intelligence services, rekindling overreach fears 17-01-2026 07:19 Changes formalised by Decree 941/2025, published in the Official Gazette on January 2, redefine the functioning of the SIDE intelligence services, reduce its internal structure and expand its powers as the central authority for intelligence. by Rodis Recalt
BEYOND THE HEADLINES Fracas in Caracas 10-01-2026 06:43 Whisking Maduro from a heavily guarded Caracas military base to a New York courtroom was also an almost magical feat but has yet to prove a game-changer in Venezuelan history. If Bolivarian 21st-century socialism could outlive Hugo Chávez, it could also survive Maduro. by Michael Soltys
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Is Kast caste? 20-12-2025 07:31 While Bolivia, Honduras and now Chile have all swung right in recent voting, Trump’s pet candidate in each nation had problems riding the crest of the wave. by Michael Soltys
INTELLIGENCE SERVICES Intelligence services adrift and under uncertain leadership 09-12-2025 17:05 In a region beginning to convulse due to the presence of United States troops in the Caribbean, with a latent threat from Iran against the country, the reshuffle at Argentina’s SIDE intelligence services once again lays bare an agency riddled with internal strife. by Walter Curia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS High corruption in Argentina 29-11-2025 05:00 Two years into Javier Milei’s Presidency, there is a growing sense of impunity that by no means is his sole responsibility. It is reminiscent of moments of high corruption such as those seen in the latter Kirchnerite years. by Agustino Fontevecchia
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Karina rules OK 08-11-2025 06:34 Karina Milei’s claim to the electoral laurels seems a slam dunk, but a different conclusion emerges once we look beyond the big picture to the provincial results. by Michael Soltys
OPINION & ANALYSIS Two abysses 05-11-2025 10:29 Society voted no twice. No to the future being offered by Milei (September) and no to the past offered by Peronism (October). Dissatisfaction with everybody. In not opting for the alternatives to polarisation, the voters gave an extra life to the government and Peronism. A respite. by Jorge Fontevecchia
POLITICS – ANALYSIS What to do with a problem like Cristina? 04-11-2025 13:58 For a decade now, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and those aligned with her have been — fairly or unfairly — a negative symbol for a majority of society. Just as there is a hard core who respect or idolise her, there are broad sectors who would never again vote for any candidate backed by her. by Gustavo González
Analysing Argentina The midterms are over – can Milei reinvent himself? 25-10-2025 06:17 For more than a year, Milei invested too much energy and resources in an election that was not structurally designed to change much of his future. He only seems to have come to understand that in recent weeks, when it became clear that La Libertad Avanza will not turn into a hegemonic force overnight. by Marcelo J. García
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Trump card or joker in the pack? 18-10-2025 06:15 Milei’s government is confident of success in only seven of Argentina's 24 districts but this fails to point out that fears of defeat are also only limited to seven provinces, with the other 10 up in the air. by Michael Soltys
GUEST COLUMN Peace in the Middle East: Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is not enough 17-10-2025 08:36 The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is not the last step, but the first step on a long road. by Marwan Gill
As I see it Two years after the pogrom 10-10-2025 16:27 Peace would have come to Gaza long ago if Hamas had returned the hundreds of hostages it seized on October 7. by James Neilson
POLITICS & CORRUPTION Espert and Machado’s murky history 08-10-2025 12:27 How the government’s main candidate in Buenos Aires Province became tainted by campaign contributions of dubious origin. by Rodis Recalt
GUEST COLUMN Will there be light after two years in Hamas’ tunnels? 07-10-2025 12:07 As we commemorate the second anniversary of the worst attack against Jews since the end of World War II, the return of the hostages is a priority.
As I see it Crunch time approaching for Javier Milei 06-09-2025 07:19 Much is made of Milei’s emotional dependence on his sister. She seems to have made him her prisoner. If those who say he cannot sideline her without putting his own mental health in danger are right, Argentina is in deep trouble. by James Neilson
As I see it All good things come to an end 23-08-2025 07:48 Western politicians and those who feed them ideas are ill-equipped to deal with the many challenges they face. by James Neilson
GUEST COLUMN Argentina: A country that I call home 16-08-2025 07:05 "Argentina is a land of breath-taking diversity, geographically, culturally and gastronomically. As I bid farewell, I leave with immense gratitude," writes Nur Azman Rahim, Malaysia’s outgoing ambassador to Argentina, Paraguay & Uruguay.
Campaign comments Deadlines or lifelines? 09-08-2025 06:52 We have confirmation of one important definition – the La Libertad Avanza far right and the PRO centre-right extending their Buenos Aires Province alliance to this city. by Michael Soltys
ANALYSING ARGENTINA A big win in midterms would be bad news for Milei 20-07-2025 19:05 A huge victory might encourage Milei and his team to stick to the peso appreciation which is both keeping inflation down and pleasing the upper and high-middle classes of Argentina. by Marcelo J. García
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Anatomy of a macrocephalic 19-07-2025 18:53 While the last census of 2022 showed that Argentina’s population had risen some 15% since the Bicentenary count of 2010, the population of Greater Buenos Aires only rose 9%. by Michael Soltys
As I see it Do smartphones make people stupid? 12-07-2025 06:51 For a long time it was taken for granted that headlong technological progress would greatly benefit youngsters by providing them with a cornucopia of educational resources that had been denied to previous generations. by James Neilson
As I see it Milei hurt by yet another time bomb 05-07-2025 07:34 A New York judge has ordered the government to hand just over half the shares in YPF to a vulture fund that had purchased the rights of companies harmed by the cack-handed takeover of the oil firm in 2015. by James Neilson
Campaign comments The autumn of the patriarch 05-07-2025 07:19 Gildo Insfrán’s power stems from the provincial government being by far Formosa’s biggest employer with less than six percent of the workforce having formal jobs in the private sector, boosted by shameless patronage. by Michael Soltys
OPINION & ANALYSIS Milei: Cruelty as the method 09-06-2025 15:24 The cruelty that spills daily from President Milei’s mouth and from his no less uncouth officials is not rhetorical excess or a communications blunder. It is method. It is doctrine. by Daniel Capalbo
As I see it Humanity in the grip of a death wish 07-06-2025 06:39 According to Austral University’s human resources department, the birth rate in Argentina has fallen to 1.4 per woman. by James Neilson
Campaign comments On a mission in omission 07-06-2025 06:34 Voting for provincial deputies in Misiones is more likely to be a landslide for the local ruling party than any electoral earthquake. by Michael Soltys
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Where angels fear to tread 31-05-2025 06:33 The demolition job suffered by PRO in the City has most provinces now thinking twice about advancing their elections and exposing local hegemonies to the forces of heaven. by Michael Soltys
As I see it Milei wants to paint Argentina violet 24-05-2025 06:49 Milei and his sister are well aware that political loyalties usually owe more to a person’s sense of belonging to a vaguely defined community than to reasoned arguments. Handouts can help, but peer pressure counts for more than anything else. by James Neilson
As I see it Milei looks like a one-trick pony 10-05-2025 07:45 Chainsaws are great but they can maim or even kill users who are too weak or too clumsy to handle them properly. by James Neilson
GUEST COLUMN Batakis: IMF betting on Milei because his failure would also be theirs 01-05-2025 07:42 This is a “political loan,” if not to say a campaign contribution, as in 2018.
GUEST COLUMN Pope Francis and his message of brotherhood 25-04-2025 23:44 Theological, ideological or political differences must not become excuses to distance ourselves from each other. On the contrary, they must inspire us to engage even closer in meaningful dialogue. by Marwan Gill
GUEST COLUMN Malaysia’s capital control (cepo) success – a journey beginning in Buenos Aires 19-04-2025 06:03 Malaysia’s success highlights the importance of policy credibility, clarity of purpose and exit strategy in the use of capital controls.
OPINION & ANALYSIS Transportation electrification is coming, but will it spark a broader shift? 11-03-2025 11:19 From the heart of Buenos Aires to remote corners of Patagonia, the electrification of transportation is gaining momentum, driven by a convergence of innovation, government support and a broad push for modernisation. by Heliana Veronica Higbie
GUEST COLUMN The month of Ramadan: a new opportunity for reconciliation 04-03-2025 16:57 Let us not forget in our thoughts and prayers those corners of the globe where fasting is not a choice, but an imposition and the consequence of war. by Marwan Gill
BEYOND THE HEADLINES The 86th victim 18-01-2025 06:41 Ten years later, Argentine society is still owed an explanation of a bafflingly mysterious death. by Michael Soltys
As I see it Dreaming of a Trumpian empire 11-01-2025 06:36 By openly declaring that all that stuff about sovereignty, the inviolability of internationally recognised borders and such should be discarded for what he says are strategic reasons, Trump may well have kickstarted something that could have far-reaching consequences that he would be the last to welcome. by James Neilson
JIMMY CARTER (1924-2024) A good man who lived a good life 04-01-2025 06:26 Before Jimmy Carter, the US State Department would only protect its own citizens if they fell foul of a foreign dictator. But under him, thousands of lives were saved by US diplomacy. by Robert Cox
GUEST COLUMN New Year’s resolutions: Forgotten items on the list 31-12-2024 17:26 While many of us will celebrate the New Year under a secure roof, gathered around a table with abundant food and drink, let’s not forget in our thoughts and prayers those corners of the world that are facing the consequences of man-made suffering. by Marwan Gill
BEYOND THE HEADLINES G20 or 19+1? 23-11-2024 06:00 Argentina was an odd man out in the G20 long before the shaggy libertarian embarked on his solitary crusade against Agenda 2030. by Michael Soltys
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 – 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 War between Milei and Villarruel escalates 22-08-2024 14:33 Dispute between President Javier Milei and Vice-President Victoria Villarruel has been publicly exposed. The question is no longer why it is happening, but how it can end. by Javier Calvo
GUEST VOICE Axel Kicillof: The economics of cruelty 10-08-2024 06:57 Thanks to Milei, the rich are richer and the poor poorer while the middle class is in free fall.
ANALYSING ARGENTINA Milei, Messi, and how to be the best in the world 29-06-2024 04:16 Milei continues to claim that his ministers are “the best ever.” Until they are not, as his former friend and Cabinet Chief Nicolás Posse can attest. by Marcelo J. García