Argentina is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation, with hyperinflation and cyclical debt crises plunging more than 40 percent of the population into poverty.
Because of this crisis, Javier Milei was elected with a radical agenda to confront entrenched political interests, slash government spending, and set Argentina back on the path to prosperity. But to succeed, the new president will also need to confront the ongoing effects of his predecessor’s sustained assault on the rule of law.
In December 2021, former President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for fraudulently issuing $1 billion in government contracts. Kirchner has also been accused of colluding with Iran to cover up the Islamic Republic’s role in the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) and opening the country to malign Chinese and Russian influence. These and other scandals have had a corrosive effect on Argentina’s political and legal institutions, further undermining the country’s economic prospects and national security.
Join Hudson Institute for a discussion on restoring the rule of law in Argentina with Senior Fellow Marshall Billingslea and two former senior officials from Argentina’s financial intelligence unit, Mariano Federici and Maria Eugenia Talerico.