POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC Covid tsunami 10-04-2021 08:52 The second wave is here and it already looks challenging. A winter of discontent looms ahead of the midterm elections. by Martín Gambarotta
ARGENTINE FOOTBALL AFA’s restrictions may prove too little, too late for local football 10-04-2021 08:28 A costly shutdown looks inevitable for Argentina’s top flight, after more than 100 players test positive for Covid-19. by Dan Edwards
AND THAT REMINDS ME... Passing up PASO 10-04-2021 08:16 The PASO primaries system now stands at a crossroads between postponement, suspension and even elimination. Neither the government nor the opposition speak with a single voice on this issue where public health realities are as much a factor as political preferences. by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT Back to square one 10-04-2021 08:11 For poorer countries, among them Argentina, salvation is still a long way off. by James Neilson
GRIDLOCKED ‘Imbeciles,’ restrictions and elections 10-04-2021 08:06 It is common to hear people in Argentina complaining that issues have become politicised, meaning that powerful people representing conflicting interests have gridlocked an issue. by Agustino Fontevecchia
COVID-19 'SECOND WAVE'? Less growth, higher deficit – potential impact of ‘second wave’ lockdown 05-04-2021 16:15 Productive Development Minister Matías Kulfas has ruled out a repeat of 2020’s dramatic shutdown of economic activity; Economists predict that further restrictions would seriously damage rebound. by Mirta Fernandez
THE WEEK Second wave jitters 03-04-2021 08:39 Covid cases in Argentina are picking up faster than ever amid fears of a second wave. It could be punishing for the government if the second wave turns ugly. by Martín Gambarotta
AND THAT REMINDS ME ... East(er) and South (Atlantic) 03-04-2021 08:34 The most memorable Semana Santa of the last generation would undoubtedly be that rocked by the Campo de Mayo carapintada Army uprising of 1987 famously ending with Raúl Alfonsín’s: “Happy Easter, the house is in order” by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT Some lessons in elementary Chinese 03-04-2021 08:24 Unfortunately for many millions of people, Argentina has long been programmed to get poorer and the Kirchnerite government is clearly determined to ensure the slide downhill continues. by James Neilson
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC On ‘the fear’ and philosopher kings 03-04-2021 08:17 When polarisation and emotional entrenchment reaches the level of a football rivalry, the democratic system begins to fail. by Agustino Fontevecchia
BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS Kicillof, bondholders’ old foe, plays default hardball 30-03-2021 11:27 Axel Kicillof relished clashing with foreign investors when serving as economy minister. Today, as governor of Buenos Aires Province, he's again locked in a bruising battle with financiers in New York and London.
ANALYSIS Bolsonaro ousts top ministers as pandemic spirals out of control 30-03-2021 10:19 Cabinet changes are Bolsonaro’s latest attempt to diffuse growing Covid crisis amid harsh criticism from the business community and his own allies.
THE WEEK Pay no more revisited 27-03-2021 08:18 The urgent question is whether CFK and Guzmán are on the same team and executing some kind of coordinated play to eventually force a deal with the IMF. by Martín Gambarotta
AS I SEE IT A country caught in a time warp 27-03-2021 07:57 Obsessed as they are by the world of almost half a century ago, Cristina and her admirers have little interest in the country they are now governing. by James Neilson
OLD HABITS DIE HARD Mauricio and Cristina take centre-stage 27-03-2021 07:38 Both former presidents are both playing their games and talking to their people. The problem is we’re stuck in the middle. by Agustino Fontevecchia
AND THAT REMINDS ME... Mercosur’s murky future 27-03-2021 07:27 Mercosur will have problems selling itself to the rest of the world while it cannot sell to itself. by Michael Soltys
THE WEEK Situations vacant: Justice Ministry 20-03-2021 08:14 The president has sided with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in her battle against the judicial branch. But will he sacrifice Guzmán if members of his coalition frown at any belt-tightening to meet those targets? by Martín Gambarotta
EX-PRESIDENT IN SIGHTS? Government wants Macri at forefront of election campaign 20-03-2021 08:07 With polls showing voters have economic crisis fresh in their mind, Peronist leaders give the order to attack former president during campaigning. Criminal complaint against former president over IMF debt deal is first step. by Rosario Ayerdi
AS I SEE IT Declare me innocent, or else 20-03-2021 07:48 Political power is now in the hands of individuals who are far more interested in the future of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her offspring than in the fate of the rest of the population. by James Neilson
TIME FOR A SUBSTITUTION? Macri returns, but is unable to turn the page 20-03-2021 07:35 Taking a page from Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s playbook, Mauricio Macri has used a book launch to reset his political career in the midst of an electoral campaign. by Agustino Fontevecchia
AND THAT REMINDS ME... A year of fear 20-03-2021 07:08 The nationwide quarantine imposed exactly one year ago today might well have qualified for that cliché “the first day of the rest of your life,” but let us hope that it is not quite as bad as that. by Michael Soltys
AND THAT REMINDS ME... Is justice being done to justice? 13-03-2021 09:03 It’s not realistic to go monkeying around with the Argentine legal system while entering into serious negotiations with the IMF. by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT Vaccines bring problems in their wake 13-03-2021 08:57 Egalitarians insist that vaccines should be distributed equally the world over and accuse governments in rich countries of cornering the market. by James Neilson
COMMUNITY Ronnie Scott: 103 not out 13-03-2021 08:52 Keep moving would seem to be the secret of Ronnie Scott’s longevity – flying the skies from World War II to the year of Argentina’s first World Cup, he remains on wheels to this day with a driving licence. by Michael Soltys
THE WEEK Justice for Al(-berto) 13-03-2021 08:09 It's clear words no longer suffice and that Kirchnerites want to see results on the judicial front. by Martín Gambarotta
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK More of the same? 13-03-2021 05:48 The kick-off of the October electoral campaign promises to be brutal for future expectations. Government and opposition will duke it out once again, using all of the usual dirty tricks. by Agustino Fontevecchia
RONNIE SCOTT Fighting fit at 103, the veteran who left Argentina behind to fly Spitfires for Britain in WWII 09-03-2021 07:00 Meet Ronnie Scott, a 103-year-old war hero, born in Argentina in 1917. He's a man with an incredible story to share, a story which shines a light on a chapter of the World War II story almost lost to history. by Lord Ashcroft
POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC The year of the jab 06-03-2021 09:29 The president’s speech was not all about Covid. Fernández drove home the message – with the five members of the Supreme Court looking on remotely – that he is not satisfied with the performance of the judicial branch. by Martín Gambarotta
AND THAT REMINDS ME... State of the nation 06-03-2021 09:24 Last Monday was not “100 percent Cristina” – the spirit of her perhaps but not the letter. More credit should go to Cabinet Chief Santiago Cafiero. by Michael Soltys
ANALYSIS Fernández conditions IMF talks with lines from Instituto Patria 06-03-2021 09:15 Argentina’s Peronist leader has delivered the International Monetary Fund a clear message, echoing the lines of a Kirchnerite think-tank and modifying Economy Minister Martín Guzmán’s plans to seal a debt restructuring deal by May.
AS I SEE IT Alberto on the psychiatrist’s couch 06-03-2021 08:28 Is Alberto his own man or just a dutiful servant who is willing to go to any extreme to ingratiate himself with an employer who has plenty of good reasons to despise him? by James Neilson
ALBERTO'S PIVOT TO KIRCHNERISMO Radicalised 06-03-2021 08:11 It is troubling to see how both President Alberto Fernández and certain leaders in the opposition have given up their “post-grieta” posture all too quickly, proving their political and ideological fragility. by Agustino Fontevecchia
AND THAT REMINDS ME... The craft of graft 27-02-2021 08:42 The paradox of corruption is that it is such an ingrained everyday phenomenon at many levels that it explodes into big news relatively infrequently. by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT Kirchnerites find the race card tempting 27-02-2021 08:36 For the Kirchnerites, “identity politics” has many attractions. by James Neilson
REMEMBERING MARIO BUNGE Difficult but necessary 27-02-2021 08:06 To write about Mario Bunge today, one year after his death on February 24, 2020, at the age of 100, is for me on the one hand difficult, but on the other necessary.
FUTBOL PARA TODOS Echoes of the past as football returns to TV Pública 27-02-2021 07:58 Last night Argentinos and Vélez locked horns in the first domestic match screened on the TV Pública for almost four years, a throwback to the ‘Fútbol para Todos’ era which appeared to have gone forever. by Dan Edwards
SEARCH FOR A DIGITAL MANIFESTO News in the age of the Internet 27-02-2021 07:51 At stake is the health of our information ecosystem, and therefore the robustness of democracy. This is the time for everyone with a vested interest in a strong field of journalistic production to act. by Agustino Fontevecchia
THE WEEK There's no jab against ego tripping 27-02-2021 07:29 Cutting corners, contacting cronies for dodgy favours and jumping lines is almost a national sport in Argentina. by Martín Gambarotta
OBITUARY:CARLOS SAÚL MENEM (1930-2021) Carlos Menem: Peronist, president, playboy 20-02-2021 08:07 Late former governor, senator and president – who led the nation for a decade between 1989 and 1999, the longest period of a democratic leader in modern-day Argentina – dies aged 90 at a hospital in Buenos Aires. by Michael Soltys
CARLOS MENEM (1930-2021) The first post-modern president 20-02-2021 07:56 Menem was the emblem of Argentina’s eternal aspiration to be a First World cosmopolitan society. by Gustavo González
CARLOS MENEM (1930-2021) Choose your own Menem 20-02-2021 07:46 As from Menem, public officials who got rich on the job began to be the rule rather than the exception. by Javier Calvo
AND THAT REMINDS ME... Charlie was my darling 20-02-2021 07:40 A selection of purely personal memories and perceptions of Carlos Menem, including some that differ from conventional wisdom. by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT A most unlikely reformer 20-02-2021 07:31 Carlos Menem may have been the king of kitsch, but he was also something else. by James Neilson
POLITICAL ECONOMY The anchor: Guzmán’s second mistake? 20-02-2021 07:12 The Fernández administration has doubled down on an economic strategy that appears aimed at winning this year’s midterm elections. Whether or not Economy Minister Martín Guzmán agrees with the plan is debatable. by Agustino Fontevecchia
THE WEEK IN ARGENTINA Menem moments 20-02-2021 07:02 Carlos Menem dominated Argentine politics for a decade. And his death, for a moment, meant he was all over the news once more. by Martín Gambarotta
AND THAT REMINDS ME Suicide pacts are also consensus 13-02-2021 09:14 Consensus might sometimes push the right buttons but there is no guarantee and it is not a virtue in itself. by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT Here we go again 13-02-2021 08:47 Meaningful reform will remain on the backburner until the votes have been counted. by James Neilson
ARGENTINE AMAUTERISM Guzmán’s first mistake 13-02-2021 08:40 The economy minister’s appeal stems from a technocratic approach to the field of public economics, coupled with a soft but convincing, almost stubborn, conviction in his plan. by Agustino Fontevecchia
AS I SEE IT Weighed down by an entitlement culture 06-02-2021 09:50 Will Argentina be able to prosper in the brave new world that is coming our way? Not unless she manages to change lanes in the near future. As things stand, this is most unlikely to happen. by James Neilson
AND THAT REMINDS ME... All about Eva, whoops, Isabel 06-02-2021 09:40 The importance of trade unionism to Isabel Perón – truly the spine of the Peronist movement in her eyes – has been perhaps insufficiently stressed. by Michael Soltys
ON FACEBOOK´S 17TH BIRTHDAY Facebook and Zuckerberg – one year from adulthood 06-02-2021 09:08 Facebook reached its first million monthly users the same year it was founded, 2004. It reached 100 million just four years later, went on to top one billion by 2012 and currently boasts 2.8 billion monthly active users, or roughly 36 percent of the global population. by Agustino Fontevecchia
CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS Speaking through a mask: Strategies and suggestions 02-02-2021 16:55 One of the challenges of the post-pandemic world of work, as we hesitantly begin to return to some sort of normality, is that in most cases we will be returning masked. And talking through a mask is far from easy. by Joanna Richardson
AS I SEE IT Take me to your leader 30-01-2021 09:26 Argentines tend to be more prone than others to put their faith in individuals rather than in ideologies or “doctrines,” as Radicals like to call them. by James Neilson
ARGENTINE FOOTBALL Platense desperate to end 22-year stay outside top flight 30-01-2021 09:03 To teams and their fans stuck in the lower reaches of the football pyramid, every moment away from the promised land of the top flight can feel like an eternity. Platense know that sensation better than most. by Dan Edwards
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS Balancing the budget, a dubious aim in an electoral year 30-01-2021 08:38 Economy Minister Martín Guzmán’s plans could collide with government aspirations for a good result in the 2021 midterms.
AND THAT REMINDS ME... This Formosa is no Taiwan 30-01-2021 07:27 Although a province since 1955, Formosa has only had four elected governors in its entire political history, all Peronist. Yet such lack of alternation is far from unique in Argentina. by Michael Soltys
TAMING INFLATION Alberto’s 21st-century agenda? 30-01-2021 07:18 In order to imagine an avant garde agenda worthy of the 21st century, Argentina needs to fix its 20th-century problems. by Agustino Fontevecchia
COPA SUDAMERICANA Pepe and Pepo head Lanús’ push for second Copa Sudamericana title 23-01-2021 10:40 The financial devastation caused by the events of the last 12 months prompted Lanús to look even more closely at their young talent. by Dan Edwards
AND THAT REMINDS ME... Your petrol frizzled 23-01-2021 10:19 If Vaca Muerta is indeed a dead cow, then Argentina will end up importing fuel, a move which will surely cost more dollars than those denied YPF to service its debts. by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT Life without Trump will not be easy 23-01-2021 09:50 Trump was elected because he understood that many millions of North Americans were being left to rot by the credentialed technocratic “elites” who openly despise anyone who disagrees with them. These “deplorables” are not about to go away. by James Neilson
BLOOMBERG Professionalism returns to the White House with Biden 23-01-2021 09:43 Policy expertise and political savvy are already on display. That’s a welcome contrast to Trump, but no guarantee of success.
US-LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS Biden to adopt ‘dramatically different’ approach to Latin America 23-01-2021 08:57 With President Joe Biden now in the White House, three respected experts offer their opinions on what lies ahead for US-Latin American relations over the next four years. by Jennifer Heiman
BILATERAL RELATIONS Don’t expect ‘carnal relations’ between Alberto and Joe Biden 23-01-2021 08:31 One actor could tilt the scales, though: Pope Francis. Biden is the second Catholic president of the US, preceded by John F. Kennedy. How much will the Peronist leader of the Holy See nudge Biden our way? by Agustino Fontevecchia
AND THAT REMINDS ME... Grain means pain, corn meets scorn 16-01-2021 09:13 Maize in a maze would be as good a way as any of describing the government’s slapdash suspension of corn exports early in this new year. by Michael Soltys
AS I SEE IT Censorship is on the march 16-01-2021 09:05 Once upon a time, progressives, or “liberals” as North Americans call them, agreed that censorship was bad. They would have been appalled by the notion that the richest men on Earth were entitled to prevent the sitting US president, however obnoxious many thought him, from communicating with his followers. by James Neilson
TRUMP ERA DRAWS TO CLOSE US Republicans break with Trump, foreshadowing battle ahead 16-01-2021 08:58 Republican Party veers towards years of feuding as Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP starts to crack.
TRUMP ERA DRAWS TO CLOSE Good riddance America – now let’s move on 16-01-2021 08:51 Ding, dong, let’s hope the Donald is politically dead. by James Grainger
SOCIAL MEDIA The fallacy of 'deplatforming' Donald Trump 16-01-2021 08:11 Regardless of whether the decisions made by Mark Zuckerbeg and Jack Dorsey were right or wrong, the Trump ban lays bare the absolute fallacy behind arguments used by the major platforms in the past. by Agustino Fontevecchia
Politics, power & Peronism Plan Máximo: First the province, then the presidency 16-01-2021 08:03 Máximo Kirchner, 43-year-old son of two former presidents, aims to head the Buenos Aires provincial branch of the PJ movement, before using it as a launching-pad for the 2023 elections. The ultimate goal? The Casa Rosada. by Carlos Claá & Rodis Recalt, Noticias
AS I SEE IT Too many very angry people 09-01-2021 09:21 Millions of people who are neither that well-off nor desperately poor think the current economic arrangements are not working for them. by James Neilson
