MULTILATERALISM IAEA chief Grossi voices interest in UN secretary-general post 24-04-2025 00:47 UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says he is "very seriously" considering a run to become UN secretary-general when the position opens up in 2027.
FUTURE OF UNITED NATIONS Four Latin Americans who could become the UN’s next leader 10-04-2025 15:57 Latin American and Caribbean nations will seek to unite behind a single candidate in the contest to lead the United Nations, a move that see the first-ever female secretary-general.
POLITICS & LABOUR Government brushes off general strike as workers walk off job 10-04-2025 15:27 Public-sector workers fail to turn up, complying with CGT-led call for third strike of Milei Presidency; Many shops remained open and public transport still an option with buses running nationwide;
POLITICS & LABOUR CGT confirms 36-hour strike, starting next Wednesday 03-04-2025 15:58 Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) umbrella union grouping, Argentina’s largest labour federation, confirms third general strike of President Javier Milei’s government will take begin April 9 and last 36 hours.
NEW LEGAL BEAGLE Santiago María Castro Videla named as new Treasury legal chief 29-01-2025 15:37 Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni confirms administrative law specialist and Austral University professor Santiago María Castro Videla has been named as new Treasury attorney-general, replacing departing Rodolfo Barra.
POLITICS Milei tells top legal official Rodolfo Barra to resign 25-01-2025 10:15 President Javier Milei has sacked Rodolfo Barra, the attorney general of Argentina’s Treasury.
CRIME & SECURITY Bullrich announces arrest of ‘terrorist linked to Islamic State’ 16-01-2025 09:51 Nine-month investigation ends with arrest of 24-year-old in General Roca; Argentina’s security minister claims that “terrorist represented a concrete threat to national security" and was planning major attacks across nation.
Foreign relations & diplomacy Argentina refuses to back UN draft resolution on indigenous rights 12-11-2024 10:45 Argentina the only country out of 169 to vote against a United Nations draft resolution on rights of indigenous peoples.
ANALYSING ARGENTINA No future for Milei 28-09-2024 06:33 President Milei’s first speech at the UN General Assembly was the latest example of the many fruitless symbolic battles that Argentina’s 21st-century Don Quixote chooses to fight to feed his foundational ego trip. by Marcelo J. García
FOREIGN POLICY & DIPLOMACY ‘Totalitarian’: Argentina votes against UN ‘Pact for the Future’ 23-09-2024 19:26 Milei administration officials voice rejection of non-binding UN masterplan to address 21st-century challenges; Only seven out of 193 states vote against, including Argentina, Russia, North Korea and Venezuela.
MILEI IN AMERICA Milei in New York: Ringing the Wall Street bell, Elon Musk meet 23-09-2024 13:20 President Javier Milei delivers a speech to traders and invited guests at Wall Street ahead of eagerly awaited address to the United Nations General Assembly later today.
UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY The world this weekend 20-09-2024 10:04 Any action plans will hinge on the big players at the UN agreeing to make any consensus from a weekend like this work. And who are those players? Why, the United States, China, and Russia… by David Smith
UK ELECTION 2024 Labour hoping for historic win as UK voters go to the polls 04-07-2024 14:49 Polls show centre-left Labour party set for its first general election win since 2005 – making Keir Starmer the party's first prime minister since Gordon Brown in 2010.
Foreign relations & diplomacy Argentina shifts historic position on Palestine as UN member state 10-05-2024 17:12 President Javier Milei's government votes against recognition of Palestinian state at United Nations, breaking with its normal diplomatic position.
POLITICS & LABOUR Milei faces second major strike as Argentina resists austerity 09-05-2024 10:40 Argentines woke up Thursday to the country’s second national transport strike since President Javier Milei took office in December.
Congress & Politics Milei’s omnibus bill wins general approval in lower house 30-04-2024 09:24 Lower house Chamber of Deputies approves Milei's flagship reform bill in general with 142 votes in favour, 106 against and five abstentions; Lawmakers will now begin voting on key points, as well as accompanying fiscal package.
FOREIGN POLICY & DIPLOMACY Milei: ‘We must strengthen strategic alliance with United States’ 05-04-2024 17:01 President travels to Tierra del Fuego, where he meets with US General Laura Richardson and commits to forging closer ties with Washington; New aircraft incorporated into Argentina’s Air Force.
POVERTY More hunger, less money: Soup kitchens count rations 15-02-2024 00:33 At community meal centres across Argentina, a dual crisis is biting: the influx of ever more hungry mouths to feed during an economic crisis, and a decision by President Javier Milei's new government to freeze their aid.
ANTI-MILEI MARCH ‘Great struggle’ begins as protesters rally against Milei’s reforms 25-01-2024 01:33 Tens of thousands of demonstrators descended on the Plaza del Congreso in Buenos Aires on Wednesday to protest the Milei government’s economic reform bid. by Ashton Goren & Martha Contreras
ANTI-MILEI PROTEST Thousands swarm Buenos Aires' streets to protest Milei’s reforms 25-01-2024 00:39 Thousands flooded the streets and avenues surrounding Congress during a mass protest on Wednesday in Buenos Aires organised by the CGT, one of the nation’s oldest and most powerful union groups.
POLITICS & LABOUR Unions take to streets in challenge to Milei's reform push 24-01-2024 13:53 Thousands of protesters had gathered by midday in the heart of Buenos Aires for what is expected to be the biggest demonstration in years, called by Argentina’s main union, the CGT, against President Milei's proposed economic reforms.
THE REAL FIRST LADY Karina Milei: the most feared woman in Argentina's government 12-01-2024 16:58 Javier Milei’s sister is his gatekeeper and guard – she handles the president’s agenda and the cash. The collaborators she has expelled and those she holds in her sights. Karina Milei’s grudge against Victoria Villarruel and Fátima Florez. Her mystical connections and past as a baker. A look at the presidential chief-of-staff – the most feared woman in government. by Juan Luis González
FOREIGN POLICY & DIPLOMACY Argentina debuts diplomatic shift under Milei at United Nations 19-12-2023 10:17 Diplomatic shift begins as Milei government takes stronger stance on authoritarian regime at United Nations; Argentina urges "Nicaraguan authorities to immediately release all persons arbitrarily arrested while re-establishing the rights of those deprived of their nationality," in line with European Union countries and the United Kingdom and other nations. by Juan Gasparini, from Geneva
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Going to the dogs? 16-12-2023 07:20 This final election 2023 column concludes a series running the length of the campaign – now it’s time to detail the resulting political architecture in the present tense. by Michael Soltys
ESPIONAGE SCANDAL Former US envoy to Argentina charged with spying over 40 years for Cuba 05-12-2023 12:36 Victor Manuel Rocha responsible for “one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent,” says US attorney-general; Colombian-born US citizen previously served as Washington’s envoy to Bolivia and headed the US Embassy in Argentina for a brief spell.
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Method in his madness? 25-11-2023 14:16 Javier Milei’s solitary rise to the top from almost nowhere in a couple of years is more apparent than real. The key to this success is more like the solution to Agatha Christie’s 'Murder on the Orient Express' – they all did it. by Michael Soltys
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Crouching tiger, hidden lion 28-10-2023 04:18 Fear of the unknown is such a conservative emotion that instead people ended up clinging to the status quo, inflation and scandals included. by Michael Soltys
Campaign comments Expecting every voter to do their duty 21-10-2023 05:51 While tomorrow’s election is widely seen as a three-cornered affair (like the hats in the times of Trafalgar), all three of its fleets tend to believe that there are only two sides. Could tomorrow’s election echo the battle by ultimately leading to a breakdown of existing alliances with a new Argentina eventually resulting? by Michael Soltys
EDITORIAL Tomorrow never knows 21-10-2023 05:46 Tomorrow is the time to go beyond day-day thinking and ponder the next four years.
ELECTION 2023 Can Bullrich and Massa face the ‘Milei-tide’? 30-09-2023 05:08 The only candidate who could be moderately competitive in a run-off against Milei appears to be Bullrich, who is the farthest from taking that spot, if opinion polls are to be trusted. by Agustino Fontevecchia
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Will Mendoza be the bulldozer? 23-09-2023 05:03 Whichever way Mendoza goes, it will be the last throw of the dice before general election day on October 22. by Michael Soltys
UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY President Fernández uses final UNGA address to reiterate IMF, Malvinas demands 19-09-2023 20:44 President Alberto Fernández demands United States end "inadmissible" economic blockade of Cuba and sanctions applied to Venezuela in final address to United Nations General Assembly as head of state.
ELECTION 2023 Poll: Milei growing ahead of election, Massa on rise, Bullrich takes a dive 18-09-2023 17:41 New Opina Argentina survey offers projections ahead of the general election; Libertarian frontrunner grows in polls but comeback looks difficult for Bullrich; Massa on track to finish second.
ELECTION 2023 Operation Beat Milei – Massa’s emergency election campaign 05-09-2023 14:35 Sergio Massa unveils package of measures to be competitive; With Lula's request and a gubernatorial rebuff ringing in his ears, Sergio Massa is fighting for Javier Milei's votes. by Juan Luis González
ELECTION 2023 Bullrich suggests Schiaretti should drop his presidential candidacy 05-09-2023 14:15 Patricia Bullrich states that "it would be a good idea for Schiaretti not to be a candidate for president" and for his voters to "strategically" back her ticket instead.
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Neither ready nor steady but still go 02-09-2023 06:24 Is there any structure beneath the protest vote foam – is there any iceberg below the tip? by Michael Soltys
Election 2023 Milei, telepathic conversations with dogs and mental health 02-09-2023 06:17 Beyond allegedly having telepathic conversation with living and dead animals, God and historical economists, Milei has an extremely short fuse, quickly escalating into a level of rage that is uncommon in someone expected to lead in times of crisis. by Agustino Fontevecchia
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Milei – melee or millennial? 26-08-2023 06:00 The Milei vote can be seen as a backlash against impoverishment, laid at the door of a regime belittling self-made wealth, meritocracy and savings. by Michael Soltys
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Two’s grieta, three’s a crowd 19-08-2023 06:01 While we are constantly told that Greater Buenos Aires is the “mother of all battles” deciding every election, Javier Milei’s win was hinterland payback, winning 16 of the 23 provinces, all inland – the mirror image of his 2021 midterm electoral advent by Michael Soltys
PASO PRIMARIES 2023 – ANALYSIS The serpent’s egg 15-08-2023 14:26 Until now the PASO primary winner has always reached the Presidency or at least the run-off. Does this guarantee Milei a place in the second round with Patricia Bullrich and Sergio Massa fighting it out for the other spot? by Jorge Fontevecchia
Lula's surgery Lula to get hip surgery, admits pain makes him cranky 27-07-2023 12:31 Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 77, will undergo hip surgery to alleviate pain, potentially affecting his upcoming international engagements.
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Santa Fe not so holy or faithful 15-07-2023 06:56 Turning to tomorrow’s PASO primary in Santa Fe, the mutual backstabbing within Juntos por el Cambio mentioned above is far from absent there – indeed nowhere else is the internal warfare more open. by Michael Soltys
ELECTION 2023 Candidacy-buying allegations pile pressure on Javier Milei 14-07-2023 07:45 Libertarian lawmaker rejects multiple claims from former allies that his party is selling candidacies and places on its electoral lists for cold hard cash (in dollars, of course).
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS The elections according to Saint John 08-07-2023 06:59 San Juan is not an especially attractive city for tourists but it does have an uncanny knack for being a venue for key turning-points in Argentine political history. by Michael Soltys
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS The men in the middle 01-07-2023 08:46 Hard not to read this as an unmitigated defeat for Cristina Fernández de Kirchner but those who see her as the ultimate political genius view this as a cunning move to leave Massa holding the baby for an inevitable national defeat while tightening her own grip on pivotal Buenos Aires Province. by Michael Soltys
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Northwest by northeast 24-06-2023 01:22 We will have to await Chaco’s final provincial elections on September 17 to see how many degrees last Sunday’s political earthquake rated on the Richter scale. by Michael Soltys
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS Toward zero 17-06-2023 06:10 This is an election in which anything could happen – and also nothing, as is occurring in province after province. Pseudo-change in San Luis and a rock-solid majority in Tucumán attest to an underlying provincial continuity at all odds with a volatile national scenario. by Michael Soltys
AND THAT REMINDS ME… Of infighting and inland voting 10-06-2023 06:27 The deadline for defining electoral alliances nationwide expires in only four days’ time but tomorrow’s provincial elections are even more immediate … Tucumán is looking safe for the Frente de Todos government while San Luis could be close. by Michael Soltys
Campaign comments Umpteen candidates in search of an author 03-06-2023 06:08 If Horacio Rodríguez Larreta had again thwarted Mauricio Macri plans by imposing Fernán Quirós over Jorge Macri, this would have been three strikes and out in the PRO founder’s esteem – a hostility potentially fatal to the outgoing City mayor’s presidential ambitions.
CAMPAIGN COMMENTS A no-win election 27-05-2023 06:45 The fact remains that the last three people to run Argentina have all opted to sit this election out. The only question here is what lies behind their “fear to tread.” by Michael Soltys