— Buenos Aires Herald Editorial

President Javier Milei’s speech at the World Economic Forum Davos on Wednesday was the usual fare for Argentines. But watching the president use the same talking points to lecture world leaders made his ossified political concerns all the more stark. 

On his maiden international trip as Argentine president, Milei used his debut on the global stage to warn those present about the “dangers” of socialism, feminism, and climate activism. His words painted a portrait of a president talking as if from a bygone era, oblivious to the current issues on the global agenda as he excoriated the state and lavishly praised unchecked economic growth. 

Oblivious to the World Economic Forum’s agenda, in fact, where addressing the climate crisis was a key theme alongside the fast-growing pace of artificial intelligence. He claimed that socialism was “pushing” the issue, bashing the so-called “socialist environmental agenda,” which would have been a shocking revelation to many a Davos attendee perhaps discovering their real political stripes.

Wednesday’s speech was also the first time Milei’s fierce scorn for feminism made it into an official statement beyond incendiary television interviews —  actively putting down a movement that his country is internationally renowned for from a half-filled auditorium in Switzerland. Out of touch at home and abroad, as concerns over gender inequality are firmly established in the global agenda: there was a panel at the Forum dedicated to the economics of gender parity the day before he spoke.

The international community got more than a primer on the president’s archaic worldview, it got to be on the receiving end of his disdain. The president devoted part of his 25-minute speech to criticizing what he called “collectivist ideologies,” blaming them for Argentina’s economic crises. He went on to say that the vast majority of viable political options in the West include some form of collectivism, “from social democrats and progressives to nationalists and globalists” — chastising other countries at a time when Argentina needs all the international cooperation it can get.

Even when Milei hits on valid issues, he seems to miss what the actual point of the discussion is. Regarding the climate crisis, for example, he seemed to view reparations for countries hit by climate disasters and ongoing negotiations for developed countries to provide funding for clean energy transitions as ways in which the “socialist” establishment seeks to get in the way of capitalism. As if climate change were some sort of conspiracy destined to prevent poor countries from reaping the benefits of economic growth.  

Argentina watched its latest export project a very different image of the country onto the world stage this week, trumpeting an outdated perspective with the explicit backing of far-right politicians and the quiet institutional acquiescence of Davos. The repercussions of Milei’s rhetoric are already being felt within Argentina. Whether or not the president’s inflexible and abrasive approach to world politics translates to the country slipping internationally on the issues it holds dear remains to be seen.