Who is Javier Milei? Where do his ideas come from? Where is Argentina heading under his leadership — and is it too early for books like these? Many of these questions already have answers within reach. In this review, we look at two recent publications on Javier Milei.
The first is The Milei Era by Philipp Bagus. The second, Milei: The Revolution They Did Not See Coming, is co-authored by Nicolás Márquez and Marcelo Duclos. All three writers know Milei personally, which arguably makes them credible — though not necessarily neutral — sources on the subject.
So, let us answer a question that may be bothering anyone who has not held these books in their hands yet: What is the point of writing a biography not only of someone still alive and far from the end of his political career but of someone who has not even completed his first presidential term? After all, the reforms underway in Argentina are happening right now. By the time authors finish their books, publishers release them in the original languages, and then foreign publishers translate and distribute them, things may have changed a hundred times. Fortunately, Bagus, Márquez, and Duclos anticipated this problem and wrote their books in a way that ensures they will not become outdated too quickly.
This is due to the structure of their books, which are quite similar. In both, we are introduced to Argentina’s history, ruined by various brands of socialists who brought one of the richest countries in the world to its knees. We read about Milei’s early interest in economics and his ideological journey from Keynesianism, through the neoclassical school, to the Austrian school. We learn about his political motivations, libertarianism, the culture war, and his victorious 2023 election campaign.
Understanding Milei’s motivations is crucial for making sense of Argentina’s current situation. Without this perspective, critics may accuse him of fascism—for example, because he does not allow protesters to block roads, stops funding propaganda outlets with public money, or criticizes wokeism. Yet his real aims are to stop inflation from eroding people’s savings, prevent state interference from condemning people to poverty, and eliminate the parasitic elite class living off the poor.
His rhetoric is, to some extent, populist—but not in the conventional sense of promising the moon. His promises are realistic, and we are already seeing early results. If he is populist, it is only in the sense that he openly condemns all the previous beneficiaries of the old system and emphasizes that they are enemies of the average Argentine. As a libertarian, Milei is fundamentally opposed to state structures, but he does not single out democracy as an evil to be destroyed. After all, without democracy, he would not have had the opportunity to begin reforming his country. That is why, unlike his predecessors, he does not persecute or marginalize anyone. Even among his close collaborators, there is a diversity of views on various issues—including such controversial ones as abortion.
Both books, therefore, not only try to understand Milei himself but also explain why Argentines are willing to take a chance—even on an anarcho-capitalist—to lift their country out of misery. No matter how Milei’s presidency unfolds, his figure already inspires debate about the limits of freedom, the role of the state, and the courage it takes for politicians to advocate extremely unpopular views. Perhaps in a few years, more complete biographies will be written, but even today, these publications are worth reading to better understand not just Milei but also modern Argentina—a country that has once again become a laboratory of political experimentation.
Written by Adrian Lazarski
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