Argentina’s Milei emerges as blueprint for global far right
Al Jazeera
One year into his presidency, Milei has fast become a symbol of what the global far right hope to achieve.
Buenos Aires, Argentina – In the Hilton in Buenos Aires’s swanky Puerto Madero neighbourhood, young men in royal blue suits too big for their shoulders gathered for an event organised by the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
The conference is a mainstay of the political right in the United States, but last week’s event was its first in Argentina, and a sign of the growing importance of this country to conservative politics, a year into the presidency of Javier Milei.
The ultra-libertarian Milei headlined the event, featuring alongside a cast of ultra-conservative and libertarian influencers. A red Make America Great Again cap bobbed in the crowd, as reporters chased around far-right figures, like Santiago Abascal, the head of Spain’s Vox, or Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and now a legislator in Brazil.
“Clearly, Javier Milei is a leader on a global level,” one reporter said, ambiguous on whether she was making a statement or asking a question. “Absolutely,” Bolsonaro responded. “Otherwise, the largest gathering of conservatives in the world wouldn’t be here in Buenos Aires.”
One year after catapulting into the presidency of the second-largest economy in South America, Milei has stepped into the international spotlight.
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