Argentina: Finding the Center in the Age of Right-wing Populism
On November 20, 2023, libertarian Javier Millei won Argentina’s presidential elections in a run-off against Sergio Massa, the economic minister of the ruling coalition. His victory is widely attributed to his ability to capitalize on the population’s widespread dissatisfaction with those in power. After inheriting a dire economic situation, his presidency has been focused on reforms to tackle inflation, the fiscal deficit, modernization of the labor market, and privatizing important sectors of the economy. He has achieved an impressive correction of the fiscal accounts and of inflation. His proposals have faced pushback from different sectors, including members of Congress and significantly students and educators who voted for him. However, some of his reforms have made it through to implementation, although somewhat diluted from their original forms.
What is the future of Milei’s reforms and the ideas he represents? What does it mean to be a centrist in Argentina’s current political landscape? Will centrism be able to build an attractive political alternative in the future? Based on what kind of ideas/proposals? To discuss these key issues the Georgetown Americas Institute (GAI) is pleased to host Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, the former chief of government of the city of Buenos Aires, for a conversation with Alejandro Werner, founding director of the Georgetown Americas Institute.
Please join the Georgetown Global Cities Initiative for an additional dialogue with Rodriguez Larreta on the power of urban leadership on the global stage in conversation with Uwe Brandes, Global Cities faculty director.
Accommodation requests must be sent by October 7 to kb1386@georgetown.edu.