The Malvinas, Caputo Jr.’s Ecstasy and a Victory That Lasts Minutes

Javier Milei’s government appears to have found a way back to the emotional bond it had lost with the social sector that still supports it through Argentina’s economic and social difficulties. The revival of the sovereignty claim over the Malvinas Islands has rebuilt that bridge, at least for now, and reached beyond Milei’s traditional base.

The initiative was devised by Santiago Caputo Jr., the young communications adviser who informally oversees the State Intelligence Secretariat. The article says Caputo developed the idea against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s anger with the United Kingdom over its distance from the war with Iran. Milei then supplied the political choreography.

Polling cited by Clarín suggests the move connected with a strongly nationalist public. A survey by Trespuntozero, led by Shila Vilker, found that 83.5% of respondents described themselves as very or fairly nationalist. A separate Management & Fit poll found that nearly 18% believed the Malvinas issue improved the president’s image, while 44% expected no change and 36.5% thought it could make his image worse.

The Malvinas campaign has dominated the public agenda since last Thursday’s national broadcast. The debate over payment arrears has not disappeared, nor have concerns about falling consumption, low incomes and the crisis affecting commerce, industry and construction. The article notes that industry and construction both recorded an average decline of 4.5% in July.

The government is now promoting bills it plans to send to Congress, including a National Sovereignty Defense Law and the construction of an Integrated Naval Base in Tierra del Fuego. Sanctions for companies operating in the area Argentina claims around the Malvinas have existed in law since 2011, but their application has always been difficult. For the government, the renewed campaign has offered some relief. Clarín calls it perhaps only a victory lasting minutes, but still a welcome pause for an administration that had been struggling for air.