Former Argentine President Mauricio Macri Thursday welcomed Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta s decision to launch his presidential bid on Wednesday evening through a recorded message.
In Argentina, the rule of law and free-market principles have been weakened dramatically over the past decade. Under the leadership of Nestor and Cristina Kirchner, economic freedom in Argentina has been in a virtual freefall, corruption has been rampant, and the government’s ties to strongmen in the region, such as Ven¬ezuela’s Hugo Chávez, are troubling. The White House and the U.S. Congress should examine the threat posed to both the U.S. and Latin America from the continuance of the Kirchners’ populist and statist policies, ensuring that Argentina’s current government does not receive political favors from the U.S. government. President Obama made the right decision to skip a visit to Buenos Aires when he travels to Latin America this month. But he can do much more to hold Argentina’s government accountable for the country’s downward spiral.