Via WorldPress.org, NACLA‘s Sara Kozameh writes about Argentina’s new government, led by President Mauricio Macri, noting the abrupt change in various policies and immediate public sector layoffs, with more projected, thought to be aimed at supporters of previous President Kirchner. Then this interest tidbit comes up:
Those who stand to profit from these new policies include many in Macri’s inner circle. He has stacked his cabinet with businessmen and former CEOs, and at the provincial level, the new minister of agriculture for Buenos Aires Province—now also governed by Macri’s party—is a former regional manager for Monsanto. The media has reported that since the election, the sale of Monsanto products like GMO corn seeds and herbicides have jumped. Questions of conflict of interest, though, do not seem to concern Macri, who seems intent on bringing a new “managerial ethos” to Argentina. Other corporate executives whom he has appointed to cabinet positions have had close business relationships with his family, who themselves are often criticized for having greatly profited from ventures during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. If government policy is going to have the same “ethos” as scandal-plagued companies like Monsanto, Shell, JP Morgan Chase and General Motors—some of the corporations that Macri’s new cabinet members have previously worked for—then it is no wonder that so many Argentines are worried for their country.
The return to a “business-oriented” economic regime under Macri will likely include returning to increased dependence on foreign creditors and the same multilateral organizations that led the country down a turbulent path to economic collapse in 2001. An important component of his business-friendly model is Macri’s vow to renew ties with the IMF and end the conflict with “vulture fund” holdout creditors. In January, after 13 years of Argentina’s absence, he attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, as if proudly debuting the country’s young, new economic orthodoxy to an eagerly awaiting business world.
This seems reminiscent of the United States – putting businessmen, who basically know nothing about government in charge, and watching the sky fall in on us. Will this happen with Argentina? The counter-argument, of course, is why should we, or Argentinians, trust professional politicians? And it’s a fair question. For example, the Presidential mini-dynasty of the Kirchners, Néstor and his widow, Cristina, gives me pause as it echoes the American Bushes and Clintons.
I look forward to hearing if the Argentinians regret their choice of party to lead them into the future – or celebrate it.
