South America as a whole has endured an increasingly unstable political era, suffering exploitation by dictators, demagogues, and foreign entities seeking a profit. There are three states in which we see these most: Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina. While much of the international focus has been on the former two, I’m going to shift over and take a look at the last one on the list, due to its response – unique within contemporary South America – to a profiteering and worker-hostile administration.
The response of the Argentinian people to the austerity measures of the IMF and the Macri administration has been overwhelming. Mass strikes, workers’ advocacy, and student-teacher protests have all taken place to advocate the lifting of austerity measures, particularly in light of the IMF’s role in the previous economic crisis in Argentina. The closing of the port of Rosario is one of the clearest indicators of the Argentine syndicalists’ hostility towards the current administration’s plans. These responses stand in sharp contrast to what’s happening in neighboring Brazil, where the population seems to be rallying around the common banner of reactionary nationalism, under the looming shadow of Jair Bolsonaro.
Besides the closing of Rosario, the most significant show of force by the unions and working class of Argentina has been the refusal to the newly-introduced Macri policy to charge backpay for gasoline. After the collapse of the Argentine peso, the opposition parties – including the one led by opposition frontrunner Cristina Fernandez – and the union leaders have called for an immediate session of Congress to consider the repeal of the policy. Taking this stand against the Macri austerity policies shows that they are willing to push back if the measures take an active role in harming the working class of the country. Argentina has the potential to be a bastion of rights in an increasingly-authoritarian continent.