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Phone: 202-223-4975 Fax: 202-223-4979
Email: coha at coha.org Website: www.coha.org
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Council On Hemispheric Affairs
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Monitoring
Political, Economic and Diplomatic Issues Affecting the Western Hemisphere
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Memorandum to the Press 04.75
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Word Count: 2425
Wednesday, 20 October
2004
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To the Media: Advisory Regarding COHA
Director Larry Birns
COHA’s director, Larry Birns, will be visiting
South America from October 25 to November 8. He will be in Bogotá
from October 25-27 and can be reached there at 57-3-315-897-3839. He will
then travel to Buenos
Aires from
October 28-November 3 and can be reached there at 54-911-4410-9080. From
November 4-8, Dr. Birns will be in Rio de Janeiro and can be contacted at 55-21-3204-2929. Birns can
also be reached throughout his trip on his closely-monitored travel email
account, larry_birns at hotmail.com. COHA’s staff will also be available to
assist those interested in contacting him and can be reached at COHA’s Washington office at (202) 223-4975 or coha at coha.org.
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Argentina’s President Kirchner Continues His
Daring Departure from Past Practices
• For better or for worse, Argentine President Nestor Kirchner has
taken an almost un-Argentine approach to dealing with the social unrest caused
by the nation’s piqueteros as well as in IMF
discussions regarding the country’s defaulted debt.
• Kirchner’s recent efforts to crackdown on extremist piquetero organizations of hardcore unemployed workers in
response to growing middle class demands for a restoration of civil order have
begun to stray from the non-aggressive tactics used by Presidents Carlos Saul Menem and Fernando de la Rua.
• By standing firm against IMF and bondholder demands for payment of a
larger percentage of their foreign debt to be made, the Kirchner administration
has shown that Argentina is not to be trifled with, but will this last?
• Kirchner’s policies appear to be strengthening Argentina’s economy as foreign lenders realize that the social
order is recovering, and foreign investors again seem bullish regarding the
country’s near-term prospects.
On August 14, Argentina’s Minister of the Interior Aníbal
Fernandez commented on the piqueteros (unemployed
workers) who continue to confront the state by means of roadblocks and the
seizure of buildings, saying they should “quit fooling around and get to work.”
Two days later Fernandez incited more controversy when he implied that what
this group really fears is not so much police clubs but physical labor. Thus
began President Nestor Kirchner’s new round of more aggressive crackdowns on
this unique form of social mobilization. Despite the embarrassment Fernandez’
comments may potentially bring to Kirchner’s left-of-center Peronist
Party (PP), which historically has been mainly identified with the country’s
blue collar trade union movement, they do reveal an important component of the
administration’s thinking.
Kirchner, who ascended remarkably to the presidency in May 2003, has strayed
from the usual practices of his predecessors who strived to squash piquetero-like movements in the past through repressive
measures. He has likewise strayed from past policies through the bold manner in
which he insisted that there be a 75 percent depreciation of the country’s
private debt. Carlos Saul Menem (1989-1999) and
Fernando de la Rua (1999-2001) adopted an official
line that prioritized, in the words of the former’s
foreign minister, Argentina’s “carnal relations” with the United States and, by extension, Washington’s multinational and financial interests. In contrast,
Kirchner has adopted an economic revitalization program with heavy populist
undertones and has taken a strong negotiating stance with foreign and domestic
creditors that have assuaged the fears of many Argentine citizens who previously
felt that their country had fallen under the influence of self-serving
international forces. As president, this former and relatively anonymous
governor of the sparsely populated province of Santa Cruz has broken rank with
his recent predecessors and, regardless of the solidity of his actions, has
forged ahead on a path that offers great opportunities for Argentina, but one
fraught with risks and obstacles.
TO READ THE ENTIRE TEXT OF THIS PRESS RELEASE, CLICK HERE
This analysis was
prepared by Gabriel Espinosa Gonzalez and Matthew B. Riley, COHA Research
Associates.
October 20, 2004
The Council on Hemispheric
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(202) 223-4979, or email coha at coha.org.