Leaders | The man who may be president

Can Javier Milei’s radical libertarianism save Argentina?

Our interview explores his wild economic ideas—and his authoritarian streak

Sep 7th 2023

Argentina needs saving. Annual inflation is 113%. The peso’s black-market value against the dollar has fallen by half this year. After decades of economic mismanagement, mostly under Peronist administrations, Argentines are fed up with their venal and incompetent politicians. Their dismay has helped propel Javier Milei, a self-described libertarian and “anarcho-capitalist” who entered Congress only in 2021, to become the front-runner for the presidential election in October. Even by the standards of Argentine politics, he can sound eccentric: he is said to have hired a medium to consult Conan, his dead mastiff.

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Javier Milei’s dangerous allure”