Jorge Luis Borges Against the State
Freedom, literature, and politics in the work of Jorge Luis Borges
December 2026
What's inside…
Nearly three years ago, Javier Milei became Argentina's president, promising deep spending cuts, mass layoffs of government workers, and radical change. He's made impressive progress, but the job isn't finished.
This December issue of Reason magazine provides a look into what Milei has accomplished and what it will take to make the most of Argentina's window for real change.
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Features
Rents, Internet Speeds, and Airfares: 3 Deregulation Success Stories From Milei's Argentina
Javier Milei is showing the world how deregulation can slash prices and improve services.
Terror at 10,000 Meters: What a Bumpy Flight in Argentina Taught Me About Deregulation
Without airline deregulation, maybe I would have paid more to a state monopoly for the same near-death experience.
Milei's Push To Privatize Companies Is Running Up Against Congressional Pushback
The long road to "everything that can be in the hands of the private sector will be."
Evita's Strange Conscience
Few historical figures from the last century have inspired as much global fascination and lore as Eva Perón, because the populism she embodied was itself a form of theater.
Adam Smith's Simple Formula Explains Argentina's Rise, Fall, and Comeback
Javier Milei is embracing Smith's advice of "peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice."
How Milei Won
It took three ingredients: an offbeat candidate, a bombastic campaign, and a public hungry for something new.
Javier Milei's Pack of Giant Libertarian Dogs
How English mastiffs embody libertarian ideals
Is Milei Following Murray Rothbard's Playbook on Right-Wing Populism?
Why is Argentina's self-described anarcho-capitalist president surrounding himself with conservatives?
Argentina's Oldest Café Has Outlasted Authoritarians, Bureaucrats, and Lockdowns
Café Tortoni has been a cultural hub in Buenos Aires for more than 160 years.
Javier Milei, the Free Speech Champion Who Takes His Critics to Court
The Argentine president's commitment to limited government has faltered when it comes to free speech.
How Argentina's Junta Botched Its 1978 World Cup Sportswashing Plan
Argentina's military rulers thought the tournament would bolster their legitimacy. Instead, it hastened their downfall.
How Milei Defused Argentina's Hyperinflation Bomb
Argentina's president restored the solvency of a bankrupt Treasury and a broken central bank.
Milei Campaigned on Dollarizing Argentina. As President, He Stopped Talking About It.
Why did dollarization disappear from Javier Milei's agenda?
Editor's Note
Can Milei's Success in Argentina Be Repeated Elsewhere?
Javier Milei has defeated the tyranny of the status quo.
Books
An Absurdist's Exile in Buenos Aires: Witold Gombrowicz's Argentine Years
Outsider Everywhere follows the Polish author's 24 years in Argentina.
Before the Falklands War, Islanders and Argentines Were Neighbors
A new history recovers the connections between the Falkland Islands and Argentina before their competing nationalisms took over.
Reviews
Review: Milei's Rise Through the Eyes of One of His Critics
The Embrace is a short documentary following a struggling tango dancer amid Javier Milei's election.
Review: This Iconic Rock Album Reflects Argentina's Political Evolution
Charly García's Piano Bar is an album for skeptics of political power.
Review: Emilio Pettoruti's Radical Paintings
Pettoruti introduced abstract European styles that were not warmly received at first.
Review: The Evita Museum Obscures Peronist History
The Peróns drove the economy of Argentina into the ground, but that doesn't mean they've gone down in history as villains.
Review: An Epic Poem About Man vs. the State
In El Gaucho Martín Fierro, the protagonist suffers through military conscription.
Review: A Hitchcock-Style Argentine Thriller
Wild Tales is a delicious revenge fantasy with a cynical political subtext.
Review: Argentina's Monetary History on Display in a Museum
The Central Bank Museum in Buenos Aires chronicles the progression from cocoa beans to volatile pesos.
Review: This Cocktail Is an Argentine Cultural Icon
Fernet con Coca combines the Italian liqueur Fernet-Branca with the Coca-Cola.
Crossword
Don't Cry for Me: December 2026 Puzzle
"Budgetary policy pursued by the Milei government"
ETC.
Brickbats: December 2026
News of Argentine politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly
Archives: December 2026
Excerpts from Reason's vaults
Quotes
How Much Contempt Does Javier Milei Have for the State?
A notable quote from the Argentine leader's 2024 Economist interview
Javier Milei's Case Against AI Regulation
"Keep AI unregulated," the Argentine president wrote in support of his proposed plan to boost artificial intelligence.
