Hello and welcome to "Géopolitis". Thank you for watching. This week, focus on Argentina.
WHO IS JAVIER MILEI? Impulsive, crazy, eccentric, divisive, there are countless adjectives for the man nicknamed "el loco," "the madman," in Argentina. But who is Javier Milei, who became president in late 2023?
Argentina has been sinking for years now into a severe economic crisis with runaway inflation. Javier Milei has promised a complete turnaround. Can his "chainsaw" plan lead to recovery, while over half the population now lives on less than 250 euros a month?
The new president is shifting Argentina's foreign policy. He notably declined the BRICS invitation to join them. But what also stands out is his unfiltered communication.
He sharply criticizes left-wing leaders and harshly criticizes the UN. Eighth-largest country by area, third-largest economy in Latin America, Argentina has reasons to stand out. It's safe to say, the country hasn't been spared from crises throughout its history.
Political crisis, with a series of coups, economic crisis with long-standing inflation. Javier Milei taps into the deep frustration felt by the people. By reinterpreting the past, he targets the political class, which he blames for this situation.
In his sights are especially those who support Peronism, the legacy of Juan Perón, a key political figure in the country since 1945. Peronism is hard to define. It's both a party, a movement, an ever-changing political identity, mixing populism, nationalism, and social progress.
Milei wants to wipe out Peronism and a whole era of history. So, what's this new era the president dreams of? Joining us shortly to discuss, David Copello, an Argentina specialist.
Right after this profile of Javier Milei by Natalie Bougeard. Javier Milei, the rockstar filling stadiums, going wild to this track used without permission from a famous Argentine metal band. Hello, everyone, "I'm the lion," roars the beast in the middle of the avenue.
Please, don't run away. I'm the king of a lost world. These setups, the reference to the king of the jungle, ideas from an essential collaborator.
My sister, Karina, the boss! Karina Milei controls everything. She's now the general secretary of the presidency.
An economist by trade, Javier Milei has been a regular on TV shows since the mid-2010s. His ideas and irreverence boost the audience. If they accuse me of being a neoliberal.
. . SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 .
. . then they're a fascist, a Nazi, or a communist.
Milei calls himself a narco-capitalist. His enemies? The state, the political class, which he calls parasites, the central bank, and taxes.
Taxes are bad. They're a violent act by the state against individuals. For this libertarian, everything should be market-driven, not state-controlled.
Don't give in to the state. The state isn't the solution; it's the problem. ARGENTINE PRESIDENCY OFFICE MAY 19, 2024 At Viva 24, the global meeting of ultra-conservative populist parties, he called to save the West from socialist decay.
I'll set an example and show the world that a government with our ideas can succeed. And the achievements of our government in Argentina will testify and advocate the capitalist free enterprise paradigm. Victory on the battlefield doesn't depend on the number of soldiers, but on the forces from above.
Long live freedom, damn it! Milei, who claims to be sent from heaven, wants to restore greatness to Latin America's 3rd-biggest economy. Hello, everyone, "I'm the lion," roared the beast in the middle of the avenue.
ZOOM -Hello, David Copello. -Hello. You're a political scientist, Franco-Argentinian, and an Argentina specialist at the Catholic Institute of Paris.
You're also an associate researcher at the Research Center and Documentation on the Americas. So, seeing these images just now, we wonder: "How did a TV troublemaker "not long ago "rise so quickly to the top of the state? " One main reason for this rapid rise in politics is likely the disastrous state of the economic, social, and political system in Argentina.
In the months before the elections, we had runaway inflation reaching almost 300% at the start of 2024, a few weeks after Milei took power, poverty soared to 40%, and corruption cases multiplied within the previous government, led by a center-left Peronist coalition, allowing Milei, if you will, to play a card of total innovation in a political landscape that was rather stable until then, but caused much dissatisfaction among the people. So, you've seen him in power for almost a year. How would you define him?
Locally, he's often called "el loco," "the madman. " Is he really that crazy, or is it a cleverly staged act? There's a bit of madness in his character, his personality.
There's also an esoteric side to him, claiming some occult power. Astrology is very present in his speech, in how he builds his vocation. But there's also a doctrinal side to Javier Milei.
He describes it as either anarcho-capitalist, or paleo-libertarian, based on two aspects: an economic one, a desire to dismantle the state with an ultra-liberal approach, to eliminate taxes. . .
His plan included the idea of abolishing the central bank, dollarizing the economy, thus removing the national currency, and drastically cutting state spending. That's the economic aspect. Then, a more cultural, societal aspect, which is ultra-conservative and aligns with paleo-libertarianism.
Questioning abortion rights, women's rights, and a form of climate skepticism at the head of the state. These are the two very doctrinaire aspects of Milei, who is crazy, sure, but has strong opinions on many things. Yes, with his very reactionary view of society.
How did he manage to charm the youth so much? Young people are indeed a main voting base for Javier Milei, especially in the first round. He got 30% of the votes.
Young people, but also the working class and mostly men. Argentinian society is one where young people are notably affected by informality. The informal sector of Argentina's economy affects about 45% of the population, so there's already a way of living outside the state, in a kind of wild capitalism, that echoes Javier Milei's ideas, where part of the electorate could immediately relate.
This desire to eliminate the state was already felt as a reality by some people who wanted to break free from certain constraints, or at least things seen as obstacles. Eliminating the state, eliminating Peronism, it's a real break, but we can't say Peronism is dead. Peronism, in short: a movement both national and popular, from the 1940s, around General Perón, who gave the movement its name, the founder of the Argentine welfare state, or what was the welfare state in Argentina.
A multifaceted movement, sometimes left, right, even far-right at times, and today, leans center-left. It's a movement that has been very adaptable, a chameleon-like movement in Argentine history that is now quite lost after the big electoral defeat last November, so it's very disorganized, very fragmented at the moment, but I wouldn't bet on its disappearance anytime soon. Some Peronists have even joined Milei's party.
He owes his victory partly to various right-wing, even center-right actors, but he doesn't have a majority in Congress. So he doesn't have full power. Exactly.
Milei only has 37 out of 257 deputies in the Chamber. He must negotiate with the right or center-right, especially the Radical Civic Union, Argentina's oldest party, which, on specific issues, might be interested in some agreements. Argentina is a federal state, and in its provinces, Milei has found ways to negotiate, notably by promising some foreign investment tax cuts, which interested governors who, in turn, have connections in the Assembly, allowing negotiations to approve certain things in Parliament for Milei despite his minority.
Javier Milei, economically, is betting on the recession. The measures he took have hit purchasing power. If we look closely this year, inflation is slowing, but poverty keeps rising.
Mélanie Ohayon. AUSTERITY SHOCK In front of the Argentine Parliament, Javier Milei personally came to defend his budget for the coming year. A task usually reserved for the Minister of Economy.
But the Argentine president was there to emphasize his zero deficit goal. That's why we vetoed the bill passed by Congress to increase public spending. And that's why we'll veto any bill that threatens budget balance.
Long live freedom, damn it! Javier Milei made this phrase his presidential mantra. The ultraliberal economist, just elected, cut public spending, devalued the Argentinian peso by over 50%, and announced the privatization of about 40 state companies.
Without a majority in Parliament, Milei eventually had to make some concessions. In a toned-down version, his plan still leads to massive economic deregulation. We know the situation will worsen short-term.
ARGENTINIAN PRESIDENT DECEMBER 10, 2023 But we'll see the benefits later, once we've laid the foundation for solid growth that's sustainable over time. ANGER But the austerity pill is hard to swallow for many Argentinians. Today, Javier Milei just canceled the pension increase, approved by a large majority in Parliament.
How will we continue? This president is crazy! Crazy!
I don't get how they elected him. The minimum pension amount is equivalent to 210 euros a month. Inflation soared throughout last year to over 200%.
Despite a clear slowdown under Milei, it's been around 4% per month since May. Many can't meet all their needs anymore. It's a daily struggle.
I work just to survive. So my daughter lacks nothing. RISING PRECARITY Since December, 5 million Argentinians have fallen into poverty.
Over half the population now lives on less than 250 euros a month. Javier Milei has no plans to intervene. You think people are stupid, that they won't make the right choice?
At some point, they'll starve, so obviously, they'll do anything to survive. Therefore, I don't need to step in to solve the consumption issue. The problem will solve itself.
The president cut government aid to soup kitchens. Five million kilos of food aid was stuck in warehouses. A stock reserved for emergencies, the government argued.
We're outraged that the goods have been there for months, risking expiration. . .
SOUP KITCHEN VOLUNTEER . . .
and so many kids knock on doors for a glass of milk. Despite unpopular reforms, Javier Milei's image stayed positive during the first months of his presidency, but a recent poll shows it has been declining since March, reaching nearly 40% in September. POPULARITY GEOPOLITICS David Copello, inflation is gradually slowing down, but it's costly for people, right?
Yes, exactly, because inflation is closely tied to living standards, and since Milei isn't trying to match inflation with wages, especially for state workers, many people keep a nominally equivalent salary, but quickly fall below the poverty line. Today, retirees are the most affected, with about 70% living below the poverty threshold. With a public health system and education system suffering greatly.
Exactly. We've seen some bizarre scenes in universities in recent months, for whom last year's budget was largely maintained, forcing them to cut lights in the corridors, and shut down several elevators. .
. So, these budget cuts by Milei's government are felt in the daily lives of many Argentinians. If we list them: he wants to impose a large-scale ultraliberal policy, as we know, he also wants to replace the national peso with the dollar, eliminate the Central Bank, dismantle federal agencies, and cut taxes.
Can it work? In the long run, anything's possible, but we'll all be dead, as Keynes said. In the short term, we've seen he's in the minority in Parliament, so he has to negotiate.
So, part of his action was trying to negotiate quite drastic budget cuts and another was waiting for inflation to reduce state spending. What we can see is that beyond Milei's libertarian idea of dismantling the state, we have a very radical situation of austerity. The state has cut spending by about 30% since the start of the year, which is huge, and several sectors, like construction, are badly hit.
Today, the state budget for public works has only been spent up to 11%, already more than halfway through the year. Yet, the country hasn't exploded socially? The country hasn't exploded yet, mainly because I think some people were very focused on inflation, which is partly being reduced.
The opposition is also very confused. The electoral defeat last November was harsh for the main opposition, Peronism, but also for the right, which had a coalition logic that was quite structured for about 15 years and is now very fragmented. So, against Milei, we have sporadic yet massive movements, occasional strikes, large protests, but they're sporadic, not a movement that can last over time with strength against him, with a leader and discipline, I'd say.
His popularity remains quite strong for now. Since coming to power, Javier Milei has had tense relations with some leaders in Latin America and beyond. The president is also redirecting Argentina's foreign policy, aiming to get closer to the US.
Let's see this with Elsa Anghinolfi. Tensions have been rising between Argentina's Javier Milei and Venezuela since Nicolás Maduro's disputed re-election. The day after the vote, Javier Milei called on the Venezuelan army.
"Dictator Maduro, out! "Argentina won't recognize another fraud "and expects the armed forces to defend democracy "and the people's will this time. " Beyond Venezuela, the new president's aggressive, unfiltered communication is causing a stir in the region.
He criticizes left-wing leaders, like Brazil's Lula. What's the issue? That I called him corrupt?
Wasn't he jailed for corruption? That I called him a communist? Isn't he a communist?
Why apologize for telling the truth? Javier Milei appears with Jair Bolsonaro or Donald Trump. .
. . .
. and criticizes communism and socialism at the UN General Assembly. The UN's 2030 agenda is just a supranational government plan, socialist by nature.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 Javier Milei is shifting his country's foreign policy. He declined the BRICS invitation to join them, while his predecessor worked hard to gain membership in this group which includes Brazil and China, two of Argentina's main trade partners. Our geopolitical alignment is with the US and Israel.
This is our international policy. We won't align with the communists. Javier Milei reserved his first official visit to Israel and he clearly supports Ukraine.
He aims to get closer to the US and seeks global partner status with NATO. In the far south of the continent, Javier Milei met US General Laura Richardson and discussed a joint naval base project. Defending sovereignty is for everyone who shares Western values and works together, helps, and supports each other.
In April, Argentina signed a contract to acquire 24 F-16s from Denmark. American planes preferred over those from China. David Copello, what about Milei's foreign policy?
What's his strategy? His foreign policy has two aspects. There's a doctrinaire aspect, a realignment, as seen in the report, with the US and the West, more generally, a very institutional logic, you could say.
And a much more personal logic, more about Milei's own whims. This has led to some tensions. He attended a Vox meeting, took selfies with Donald Trump or Elon Musk.
. . So, personal initiatives rather than institutional or state ones.
The tensions caused by such behavior are like. . .
For example, Spain withdrew its ambassador from Argentina a few months ago as Milei insulted the Spanish Prime Minister. You see there's a more structural dimension and a more personal, chaotic one, which have clashed in recent months. He wants to align with the US.
He also turned down the offer to join the BRICS. We're far from the "Global South" here, right? Yes, exactly.
The model that Milei wants to follow is what he calls the West. An often idealized version of the West. When he says, "I'll align with the US," he's not thinking of Joe Biden and his policies, which he might call "woke," in his words, but rather of Donald Trump and the agenda of the global far-right, the alt-right, etc.
The South is completely sidelined in all this. Argentina's previous multipolar approach has indeed been swept under the rug. Argentina won't join the BRICS, or talk to Iran or Russia, as was the case with the previous government.
Indeed, he appears alongside Donald Trump, Elon Musk too. You can see his fascination. Yes.
He likes these figures a lot for their iconoclastic side and their ultra-conservative side. He's part of a very global trend of this far-right. In his recent UN speech, he sharply criticized the UN institutions, and said Argentina would break with its neutrality tradition.
So, what does he mean by that? Well, Argentina, which used to talk to everyone, had a very pragmatic foreign policy, talking to China, Russia, and the US, won't do that anymore. One striking point in his UN speech is he didn't criticize China, which was a favorite target before.
Why? Because Argentina has a big foreign investment issue, revealed in recent weeks, and Milei is planning an official visit to China in January. So, you see, he must deal with a reality that doesn't always match his wishes.
His relationship with history is also key. He targets past wounds, from the '70s military dictatorship. With Milei, is his government really in denial?
Can we say that? We can say that, at least from a. .
. Or at least revisionist? Yes, revisionist or denialist.
From the perspective, I'd say, of the general narrative, of the story told about Argentina's past, it's undeniable. Milei questions the narrative that has been in place since the end of the dictatorship in Argentina, a country that prosecuted its military, a narrative that said the dictatorship was a system of systematic repression of opponents. Milei, however, sees it as a form of war between subversion and the state, and that soldiers were right to defend themselves, in a way.
So, there's a real challenge to the narrative about Argentina's past with a negationist angle, I'd say. And about this past, briefly, he often highlighted Argentina's greatness, the golden age, late 19th, early 20th century. Is it a fantasy?
It is a fantasy. Milei often says Argentina was the world's leading power at the end of the 1800s, which is quite fanciful. What's revealing is that he thinks the decline started in the mid-1910s, when universal suffrage was introduced in Argentina.
In his speech, ultimately, Milei's opponent, the enemy is, in a way, democracy too, even though he's a leader elected by universal suffrage. It's quite interesting and paradoxical. -David Copello, thank you very much.
-Thank you. GEOPOLITICS Milei's government has undermined remembrance policies. On March 24, tens of thousands of people gathered at Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, to shout "Never again!
" and to denounce this revisionism, even denialism. Every year in Argentina, March 24 is dedicated to remembering truth and justice for crimes against humanity, committed during the military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. A reminder of those dark years through a selection of RTS archives.
ON THAT DAY General Jorge Videla. A name that still haunts the Argentinian people. ONE DAY, ONE TIME Leading a junta after the 1976 coup, he plunged Argentina into an era of terror, with repression, persecution, and disappearances.
A ruthless dictatorship crushing all opposition, families included. VOICES FROM ARGENTINA In less than a year, I lost my whole family. They vanished.
They were taken by the army, the joint forces. After that, we heard nothing from them. Thousands of people were victims of the dictatorship.
Imprisoned, tortured, executed. Under the junta, much of the population faced severe economic hardships due to the failed liberalization program. To hide their failure, in spring 1982, the military launched an expedition to the Falklands, British islands claimed by Argentina.
FALKLANDS: FROM MISUNDERSTANDING TO WAR Argentina's main TV channel launched a 24-hour solidarity show for the Falklands fighters. But the crushing defeat of Argentinian troops further discredited the generals and contributed to the fall of the military regime. Democracy was reborn in 1983.
With it came the awareness of its fragility. It enabled, not without struggle, the start of a long journey for justice and remembrance. 30,000 missing.
The military said: "We'll kill the leftists, "then the sympathizers, and finally, if needed, the timid. " These women demand justice for them. Mothers of the missing who protest every Thursday in front of the presidential palace.
What could bring down this democracy? A military return? Yes, certainly, a coup, which everyone fears here and always thinks could happen at any moment, even if it seems unlikely right now.
But the danger is real. ON THAT DAY Thank you for your loyalty. "Géopolitis" is a program by Radio télévision suisse and TV5MONDE.
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