As I see it A window of opportunity for autocrats Yesterday 05:37 Donald Trump is far from being the only North American politician who would like to see his country leave the rest of the world to its own wretched devices. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Libertarian entrapment Yesterday 05:21 The paradox of a libertarian government revering the free market while unable to exit bureaucratic Kirchnerite capital controls has already drawn comment but the reduction of the PAIS tax exposes another contradiction.
Editorial Inflation down on its all fours? 17-08-2024 05:39 The main obstacle to zero inflation is zero certainty as to the future.
As I see it When whites play at identity politics 10-08-2024 05:55 To the alarm of many not just in the English-speaking countries but also in many others, hard-up whites have decided that they too can play at identity politics.
EDITORIAL In default and by default 10-08-2024 05:45 The moral bankruptcy of the main opposition front is a vital lifeline for a government facing enormous difficulties in restructuring Argentina.
EDITORIAL Between Tucumán and Asunción 13-07-2024 07:44 President Milei’s decision to skip the Mercosur summit does more to compromise Argentina’s future than his photograph and 10-point pact does to advance it.
As I see it Goodbye to all that, perhaps 13-07-2024 07:32 Like Mauricio Macri before him. Milei is convinced that for Argentina to prosper he and his supporters will have to win the “cultural battle.” by James Neilson
As I see it The US and Europe in meltdown mode 06-07-2024 05:50 All this political turmoil reflects what is going on beneath the surface. In every Western country, people are dissatisfied with the way things are and fear they could soon get far worse. by James Neilson
Beyond the headlines Work in regress? 29-06-2024 04:27 How can having a job continue to be synonymous with making a living if there are around seven times as many people below the poverty line as jobless? by Michael Soltys
Editorial When Loan is a national debt 29-06-2024 04:22 On the nationwide clamour for the reappearance of a missing child.
As I see it A bad time for politicians everywhere 29-06-2024 04:19 Once upon a time, successful politicians were held in high regard. This is no longer the case. by James Neilson
As I see it Milei may have to come down to earth 22-06-2024 05:53 When talking high theory, the president is in his element, but he is far less self-confident when it comes to practical matters; he must feel they are beneath him and can be left to his sister. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Bases loaded with grand slam yet to come 15-06-2024 06:50 The Senate vote was a close-run thing but perhaps Milei gains more from near defeat within Congress and violence outside than from a comfortable and peaceful victory.
As I see it A sea change in the Western world 15-06-2024 06:40 Abandoned to their fate by leading Democrats and socialists, people are turning towards politicians who are willing to take on the system they think has betrayed them. by James Neilson
As I see it The country needs a proper civil service 08-06-2024 05:36 Rather than merely slimming down a pathologically obese public sector, it would be far better to concentrate on greatly improving its quality. by James Neilson
As I see it The greatest show on earth 01-06-2024 05:56 Milei is playing the leading part in an imaginative cosmic drama he himself dreamed up in which, backed by heavenly forces, he battles the leftist foes of everything that is good. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Risky Investment Guarantee Inconsistencies 01-06-2024 05:45 The primacy of the fiscal over the economic causes problems elsewhere.
EDITORIAL The pain in Spain falls mainly on the gain 25-05-2024 06:35 This dispute is far more easily personalised as being between President Milei and Spain’s PM Pedro Sánchez rather than between the two nations.
As I see it Hail to the new populist caudillo 18-05-2024 06:49 Will Milei’s daring experiment work and give Argentina an economy that is at least as efficient as those of what is known as the developed world? Or will the cure he is intent on subjecting it to prove to be so painful that it kills the patient? by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Single digit should not mean single issue 18-05-2024 06:13 Single-digit inflation relieves the poor more than anybody but comes at a price – must they also be the ones to pay it?
EDITORIAL Contradictions and multitudes 11-05-2024 06:07 The Javier Milei Presidency has never been short of contradictions.
As I see it The perils of cyberspace 04-05-2024 05:37 A world in which everybody is electronically connected to everybody else and to the Internet is not one in which people feel closer to one another. Engrossed as they are with the talking pixels they see before them, they do their best to steer clear of flesh-and-blood creatures. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Missing the point 27-04-2024 05:38 Milei misread the demonstration as “the caste” riding a noble cause to defend its interests but the scale, spontaneity and peaceful nature of the protest argue against this bid to politicise the march.
As I see it Give us more education 27-04-2024 05:07 Though academe has been on iron rations for decades, with professors long being accustomed to having to survive on a pittance, the feeling that Milei had it in for the universities because he thinks they breed lefties gave teeth to Tuesday’s demonstrations. by James Neilson
As I see it The worst journalists in the world 20-04-2024 06:07 Milei wants to control the narrative and, by doing so, change the way Argentines think about the world. Does hurling insults at journalists help win him more adherents? by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Pre-paid or re-paid? 20-04-2024 05:14 Subordinating medical fees to the dictates of a usually populist government did not work since it placed pricing hopelessly out of sync with the costs, but the naïve faith that the market could correct the damage of years in three months was a non-starter.
Editorial The medium as the message 13-04-2024 05:54 Milei is the leader of a pack which competes to be the most outrageous but this week he seems to have been trumped by an underling: Alberto ‘Bertie’ Benegas Lynch.
As I see it Looking for unity offshore 06-04-2024 06:54 Despite the diplomatic points that can be scored, the current status quo looks likely to prevail for some time to come. by James Neilson
Editorial Mixed messages 06-04-2024 06:29 While Argentina’s government has turned full circle between the two Easters from leftist populism to far right devotees of the market calling themselves libertarians, inflation persists as the basic fact of life .
EDITORIAL The forces of Earth 30-03-2024 05:15 All the suffering of Good Friday was followed by Resurrection Sunday but can we be sure of the same sequence for Argentina?
EDITORIAL 48 years and 100 days later 23-03-2024 06:34 Tomorrow is the 48th anniversary of the 1976 military coup, while last Tuesday marked the classic first 100 days of the Javier Milei Presidency.
As I see it The dragon is getting older too fast 23-03-2024 06:32 Not that long ago, many took it for granted that China would soon overtake the United States to become the world's top nation, but there are plenty of good reasons to think they were mistaken. by James Neilson
Editorial The Pact of May (or maybe?) 09-03-2024 06:30 This month and the next stand to be the eye of a perfect storm – a rare moment in the always abnormal Argentine economy which is a nightmare for spenders and savers alike.
EDITORIAL Pouring oil on the flames 02-03-2024 05:57 If the spark that lit the fire was the threat of Chubut’s PRO Governor Ignacio Torres to cut off all oil and gas unless the cutbacks were reversed, this might appear a wild outburst – but it was less random and accidental than it might seem.
As I see it Politicians in the dog house 02-03-2024 05:01 Business, especially big business, has long had a bad press in Argentina. This is partly due to the willingness of politicians to blame it for their own failures, as happens whenever inflation gets out of hand. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Poverty also in the debate 24-02-2024 06:08 Discussing figures is one thing and denialism quite another – this applies to the human rights debate and it also applies to poverty.
EDITORIAL The summer of our discontent 17-02-2024 06:14 There is every reason to fear a vicious circle of devaluation and inflation continuing.
As I see it Milei runs into a roadblock 10-02-2024 06:51 In most places, the old guard has managed to fend off those besieging it. Even if on occasion the establishment’s forces have had to beat a retreat, they have usually retained enough power to thwart their enemies. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Who crashed the omnibus? 10-02-2024 06:47 The government must be considered the chief architect of the self-destruction of its megalomaniac omnibus bill.
As I see it An outsider at the centre of things 03-02-2024 08:11 Milei’s game plan is straightforward enough. Unfortunately, as governments the world over are well aware, squeezing the money supply is always a painful process. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL An omnibus not for everybody 02-02-2024 14:46 Uncertainty is by no means limited to the final outcome of Javier Milei's bill in Congress.
EDITORIAL The four horsemen 27-01-2024 07:35 The general strike should be deemed not so much a success or a failure as a somewhat irrelevant blip within what gives every indication of being a long hot summer and a traumatic year.
As I see it The dreaded Orange Man is on the way back 27-01-2024 06:16 Versions of the same drama, in which upstarts successfully take on those who believe themselves entitled to lord it over everybody else, are being staged in many parts of the world where ordinary folk feel they are getting a raw deal. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL More holes than a Swiss cheese? 20-01-2024 06:57 No matter the distance from home, Argentine leaders always seem to be speaking to domestic galleries when addressing international audiences.
As I see it Milei goes to the Magic Mountain 20-01-2024 06:53 What goes down splendidly with teenagers in La Matanza does not necessarily appeal to fabulously wealthy individuals who could be persuaded to invest in Milei’s ambitious project. by James Neilson
As I see it The Kirchnerites have Milei in their sights 13-01-2024 06:21 The fate of the new government will depend largely on Milei’s ability to persuade people that the fearful emergency he goes on about is not just a figment of an overheated imagination but something terribly real. by James Neilson
EDITORIAL Prices out of the market 12-01-2024 15:24 President Milei wants to avoid the failures of Mauricio Macri’s gradualism but the shock approach might have too short a fuse.
As I see it Doomsday prophecies are back in fashion 06-01-2024 07:28 There are signs that the current vogue for doomsday prophecies is having a more demoralising effect than previous ones. by James Neilson
Editorial His own worst enemy? 06-01-2024 06:06 By multiplying the contents in its economic deregulation package, the government has only multiplied the already formidable obstacles lying ahead in Congress, adding the physical impossibility of finding the time to the stiff challenges of gaining approval with only tiny caucuses of almost embarrassingly raw legislators.