Source: Foreign Policy
by Juan P Villasmil
“National populism is increasingly defining right-wing electoral politics in the United States and Europe. But Latin America has chosen a different path — emerging as a bastion of libertarianism on the global stage. This year alone, a self-described anarcho-capitalist has become the new face of Argentina’s opposition. Javier Milei earned the most votes in the country’s August presidential primaries and then eliminated center-right candidate Patricia Bullrich in the first round of presidential elections on Oct. 22. Milei is set to face off with Economy Minister Sergio Massa, of the governing Peronist movement, in a Nov. 19 runoff. … On the same day as Argentina’s first-round election, Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado and her libertarian party humiliated the traditional opposition in primaries ahead of expected presidential elections next year. … The political economy of Latin America helps explain why it has become the perfect breeding ground for libertarianism. ” (11/16/23)