As I see it The Supreme Court has Cristina in its sights Yesterdat 00:01 People are beginning to link the inability of the “political class” to run the country in a reasonably competent manner to the corrupt behaviour of some of its leading members. by James Neilson
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
POLITICAL PANORAMA Poll: 75% of voters disapprove of President Fernández’s government 16-06-2022 10:40 Presidential approval has picked up slightly but remains close to its lowest levels – three-quarters of voters disapprove of the Alberto Fernández government, according to a new UDESA survey. Inflation spans the grieta rift and is the biggest worry. by Gabriel Irungaray
TENSIONS AT TECHNOPOLIS The hand that moves the pen 06-06-2022 16:38 At the YPF event at Tecnópolis fronted by President Alberto Fernández and Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, it was very clear that progress in mending the rift within the government was conspicuous by its absence. by Nelson Castro
As I see it Collaborating with dictators 03-06-2022 11:03 Those who are interested in what Alberto says and does attribute his fondness for unsavoury dictators to his desire to placate the Kirchnerite wing of the ruling coalition.PG 11: Neilson by James Neilson
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
As I see it Jobs for the boys in the patronage state 28-05-2022 00:50 As far as the Kirchnerites are concerned, a cat’s political colour is the only thing that really matters. by James Neilson
As I see it What a Russian defeat could mean 21-05-2022 00:01 The Ukrainians are not the only ones who think Russia is heading for a historic defeat. Their opinion is shared by many in London and Washington. by James Neilson
As I see it Who has the mandate of heaven? 14-05-2022 00:01 As well as objecting stridently to Alberto’s willingness to come to terms with the International Monetary Fund, Cristina and her supporters are trying to undermine what authority he has by insidiously questioning his government’s right to exist at all. by James Neilson
Paradigm shifts Fear, uncertainty, doubt 14-05-2022 00:01 A paradigm shift for Argentina, global geopolitics, and cryptocurrencies. by Agustino Fontevecchia
As I see it A culture of irresponsibility 07-05-2022 00:02 Much as many dislike the idea, elected politicians have to take full responsibility for managing the country’s economy. by James Neilson
Abortion Debate Biden calls for US voters to push back on 'radical' abortion draft ruling 03-05-2022 15:07 Joe Biden on Tuesday urged US voters to defend access to abortion, describing as “radical” a draft Supreme Court ruling that suggested the conservative-dominated high court was poised to shred nearly 50 years of constitutional protections by striking down the nationwide right.
As I see it The crystal balls are getting cloudier 30-04-2022 01:21 Not only Argentina but most other countries have to decide if it would be better for them to cultivate their relations with what could soon be the top superpower, or to assume that the US will recover from its self-inflicted internal woes. by James Neilson
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
As I see it Argentina still hostage to a psychodrama 23-04-2022 00:02 Cristina’s legal difficulties have dominated Argentine politics for many years. No doubt they will continue to do so for some time to come. by James Neilson
As I see it The West receives a wake-up call 15-04-2022 00:07 Attitudes towards the war being fought in Ukraine have excited those who, not that long ago, were on the defensive because they feared that the West really was a busted flush. by James Neilson
As I see it Stumbling into the dark 08-04-2022 23:27 Unless the politicians who are currently in opposition come up with a realistic recovery plan and acquire the power and authority to carry it through, the future could be far worse than even the most pessimistic dare to imagine. by James Neilson
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
As I see it Lingering outside the cemetery 01-04-2022 19:24 For a politician like Sergio Massa, the government is merely a vehicle he boarded because he thought it would take him towards his chosen destination. by James Neilson
CASTRO IN KYIV Odours, shots and bombs 25-03-2022 20:57 There are thousands of souls left to God’s mercy in Ukraine. by Nelson Castro
As I see it Putin must be running short of cannon fodder 25-03-2022 11:08 Is Russia so different from the US and Western European countries that she will be able to shrug off the deaths of well over 10,000 soldiers after just one month’s fighting in Ukraine without their relatives demanding an honest explanation? by James Neilson
FOREIGN MINISTER'S FAUX PAS Communication, diplomacy and dickheads 18-03-2022 21:14 Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero's use of the English language comes under the spotlight. by James Grainger
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
As I see it The country needs a proper government 18-03-2022 08:08 President Alberto Fernández needs the votes of opposition legislators because he can no longer rely on those who obey the whims of Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. by James Neilson
As I see it The new energy crisis could suit Argentina 11-03-2022 11:30 Fossil fuels are back in fashion. Western leaders are now searching frantically for exploitable oil and gas deposits that are beyond Putin’s reach. by James Neilson
RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE Vladimir Putin is dragging the world back to the 19th century by force 10-03-2022 16:06 The president of the Russian Federation dreams of restoring the empire of yesteryear with himself as the new czar. by Jorge Faurie
as i see it The savage beasts that dreams engender 04-03-2022 12:38 If he still imagines he can turn those Ukrainians who survive his ferocious onslaught into patriotic Russians, Vladimir Putin is surely mistaken. by James Neilson
GUEST VOICE 'Stand by me' 25-02-2022 18:00 The lyrics of ‘Stand by me,’ the song made famous by Ben E. King in 1961, sum up the message from Alberto Fernández and Martín Guzmán to the IMF. by Carlos Fara
As I see it Putin’s great gamble 25-02-2022 13:30 Over the centuries some very important things have hardly changed at all. As in ancient times, the strong continue to prey on the weak when they think they can get away with it. by James Neilson
As I see it Things are looking bleaker for Cristina 18-02-2022 22:00 Cristina evidently fears that the austerity programme the government will have to press on with no matter what happens in the coming weeks will cost her the support of the millions of men and women who still kid themselves that she is on their side. by James Neilson
As I see it An innocent abroad: Alberto in Russia and China 12-02-2022 09:32 Alberto’s willingness to kowtow to Xi and heap praise on the Chinese Communist regime was by no means as ridiculous as some seem to think, but he could hardly have chosen a worse time in which to cold-shoulder the United States. by James Neilson
As I see it All the time in the world 04-02-2022 23:07 The ill-tempered conflict between those who still hope Alberto will succeed in taming the Kirchnerites and their rivals who want him to remain under Cristina’s thumb confronts the opposition alliance with an awkward dilemma.
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
As I see it Make or break for Argentina 28-01-2022 18:24 Most serious economists think that what Cristina and her supporters want is utter folly, that telling the IMF where to get off would have a devastating effect on the country. by James Neilson
POLITICS: THE INSIDE TRACK Alberto needs a new Cabinet chief: Manzur has decided to leave 23-01-2022 21:12 The governor of Tucumán, who took leave from post to serve as Cabinet chief, wants to return to his province, frustrated by his loss of power. President Fernández does not intend to keep him either. by Javier Calvo
As I see it Adrift in a world out of kilter 21-01-2022 22:00 Imperfect as the order installed by the United States in the late 1940s may have been, it, or what remains of it, is surely preferable to what seems likely to come next. by James Neilson
As I see it With friends like these… 15-01-2022 00:01 Cristina’s decision, backed dutifully by Alberto, to move Argentina closer to the Latin American dictatorships that are challenging the international status quo has come at an awkward moment. by James Neilson
GUEST VOICE Will 2022 be a year of consolidation for Latin America’s left? 14-01-2022 02:04 Three of the four Latin American presidential elections held last year were won by progressive candidates – and similar scenes could be repeated in Brazil and Colombia in the next 12 months. by Clarisa Demattei*
LATIN AMERICA Gabriel Boric has the chance to rewire Chile – and Latin America’s left 10-01-2022 10:24 Once the region’s no-frills, free-market poster child, Chile needs more government spending, not less, to sustain its growth trajectory.
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
As I see it Going it alone in limbo 07-01-2022 22:43 It is widely assumed that unless President Alberto Fernández’s government reaches an agreement with the International Monetary Fund very soon, Argentina will sink far deeper into the mire. We could be about to learn if the many who think this way have it right or if they are merely scare-mongering. by James Neilson
As I see it The pros and cons of belonging 31-12-2021 11:19 The willingness of a small but significant minority of opposition politicians to let the Kirchnerite government have its way is driving the leaders of Juntos por el Cambio coalition up the wall. by James Neilson
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
As I see it A puzzle nobody wants 24-12-2021 08:35 While it is easy for opposition leaders to criticise the Kirchnerites for their handling of the economy and a great many other things, coming clean about what they themselves would do is far more difficult. by James Neilson
GUEST VOICE 20 years on from 2001, society has yet to find a balance 18-12-2021 08:30 Social demands multiply in a scenario like the present day and might reach that level of social fatigue before reaching the 20 percent unemployment then. by Guido Lorenzo
As I see it The virus horde strikes back 18-12-2021 08:26 Like it or not, human beings will simply have to learn to live with Covid just as they have with countless other threats, whether natural or man-made.
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
As I see it Alberto caught between Biden and Xi 10-12-2021 22:23 The Kirchnerite administration does not want to be forced to choose between the United States and China. by James Neilson
GUEST VOICE Human rights: for more principles and less affinities 10-12-2021 22:20 In a world still convulsed by the pandemic, and in a region marked by a growing mistrust towards democracy and the rise of more extremist parties, Argentina is still recognised for its human rights and democratic policies.
As I see it Does corruption matter? 03-12-2021 22:16 The blatant politicisation of the Judiciary does nothing to make Argentina look like a good place in which to do business. by James Neilson