The new president of Argentina Javier Milei is interesting because he’s trying to pry apart the economic neoliberalism from the political and ideological neoliberalism. I don’t know if he’ll be successful or if this can be achieved at all. But at least Milei is trying while others have stuck their heads into their anal cavities and are offering no solutions whatsoever.
Neoliberalism was originally economic in nature. It was created as an alternative to the economic measures put in place by most developed countries to appease the pro-socialist elements in society. The first neoliberals said, screw this, why are we putting the brakes on our productivity and entrepreneurship? Why do we constrain ourselves with all these government regulations? Why are we imitating the Soviet economy to appease a few cranks who are terrified of freedom and are eyeing socialism with curiosity?
OK, they didn’t really say that. There were many very complex intellectual debates but we’ll all die of extreme old age if we get into details.
I personally have never had a problem with economic neoliberalism. I experienced its most hardcore version in post-1991 Ukraine, and I did amazing. Loved it.
But then economic neoliberalism began to overstep. It turned out that it co-exists beautifully with authoritarian regimes. In fact, it thrives there. And for an authoritarian regime to exist, you need group think. So it happened that neoliberalism walked into a situation where it proclaims the primacy of individual freedom while abolishing not only freedom but the very possibility that there will be individuals in the future.
To give a recent example of how neoliberalism loves authoritarianism, remember during COVID when everything was closed except Walmart? And Walmart ended up eating the market share of many small stores in a situation that was engineered by the government and imposed with an iron fist.
Or the mass migration that neoliberalism so loves because “freedom” must mean everybody is free to go live wherever they want. This “freedom of movement” is being carefully engineered by government institutions and rammed down our throats with great force. Our mass media, in the meantime, are bamboozling us with lies about this whole situation. The migration problem is a perfect example of economic, political and ideological neoliberalism working together. Do you like it?
Neither do I.
Surely, we can be entrepreneurial and productive without going to this extreme.
Can we effectuate a divorce between neoliberal economy and neoliberal politics / ideology? Can we embrace the repeal of regulations on appliances that people on this blog rightfully love but reject the idea that men can be women? Can we find a reasonable place in our love of freedom and just stop there?
It’s been done in the past. Capitalism is wonderful, in part, because it self-corrects beautifully and effectively. Why shouldn’t it be able to self-correct now if we guide it there?
This is the question Javier Milei is asking. And it’s s very important one.
Clarissa's Blog 
Milei is but one of several national leaders who has decided to “stabilise” the national economy by entrusting it to a stablecoin/altcoin called USD.
In doing so, he compartments neoliberal economics by pushing the responsibility for it somewhere else, effectively serving as an indictment of his own people when it comes to solving their own economic problems.
And so the only divorce being negotiated is collective responsibility.
When Robert Mugabe tried “this one simple trick” it didn’t really work because the major problem was rot, not whose currency to use.
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Also … Ecuador.
Forgot about this highly relevant example until I cleaned some of the “cash trash” forex coins from my desk and found an Ecuadorian “dime”.
Isn’t it rather convenient that the no-visa country that’s serving as the start of the long march to the US just happens to be one that happened to hop on the USD stablecoin platform many years ago?
When you hand over economic responsibility, don’t be surprised when political obligations come rumbling along after it.
Again, there is no divorce, just a messy separation with multiple houses.
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