The Guardian

Milei’s win in Argentina had Trump’s fingerprints all over it. But just how long will their friendship last? | Jordana Timerman

The Argentine president’s libertarian experiment is in tatters, and his hold on power seems increasingly dependent on volatile US support
Jordana Timerman is a journalist based in Buenos Aires; she edits the Latin America Daily Briefing
In 1946, Argentina was emerging from military rule, an empowered labour movement was reshaping politics and Col Juan Perón, a leftwing leader who had introduced a raft of popular workers’ rights decrees, was rising fast in the polls. The then US ambassador, Spruille Braden, had other ideas about who should win the national election that year, and he openly campaigned against Perón in Buenos Aires. Braden’s action stands out as one of the most brazen instances of US interference in Argentina’s politics. Until now.
The Argentine president, Javier Milei, who won a resounding midterm victory on Sunday, has received ample support from Donald Trump. Ahead of the congressional elections, Trump endorsed Milei and warned: “If he loses, we are not going to be gen..

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Trump’s bailout threat may have been key to Milei’s electoral triumph in Argentina

Voters appear to have responded to idea that US president’s ‘generosity’ would evaporate if Milei failed to win
“The dollar always talks in the end,” Donald Trump wrote in his 1987 bestseller The Art of the Deal.
Javier Milei’s surprise triumph in Argentina’s midterm elections – after Trump bailed him out with 40bn of them – suggests there may be some truth to that assertion.
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Javier Milei hails ‘tipping point’ as his far-right party wins Argentina’s midterm elections

Result falls short of giving Milei a congressional majority but surprises many analysts after series of scandals
The party of Argentina’s far-right president, Javier Milei, has won Sunday’s midterm elections after a campaign in which Donald Trump announced a $40bn bailout for the country and made continued aid conditional on the victory of his Argentinian counterpart.
With more than 99% of ballots counted, La Libertad Avanza secured 40.8% of the nationwide vote, in an election widely seen as a de facto referendum on the self-styled anarcho-capitalist’s nearly two years in power. The Peronist opposition, Fuerza Patria, secured 31.7%.
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Trump describes Russia’s new cruise missile test as ‘not appropriate’

US president says Vladimir Putin should focus on ending war with Ukraine rather than testing missiles
Europe live – latest updates
Donald Trump has described Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a nuclear-powered cruise missile test as “not appropriate” amid growing tensions between Moscow and Washington.
Putin said on Sunday that Russia had successfully tested its “unique” nuclear-capable Burevestnik cruise missile, which the Kremlin described as part of efforts to “ensure the country’s national security”.
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Japan’s new PM will hope the Abe effect endears Trump to her at crucial talks

Sanae Takaichi leads a minority government and needs a successful meeting with the US president on Tuesday. Thankfully her mentor, Shinzo Abe, is one of Trump’s ‘favourites’
Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, faces the first real test of her diplomatic and personal skills when she meets Donald Trump for talks in Tokyo that are expected to focus on trade and security.
Takaichi, who this month became Japan’s first female leader after winning a vote to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP), made her international debut at this weekend’s Asean summit.
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Trump oversees Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire signing as Asia tour gets under way

Trump has begun a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, his first visit to the region since taking office in January
Donald Trump has overseen the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia on the first day of an Asia tour where he will seal new trade agreements and hold a crucial meeting with Xi Jinping.
The US president arrived in Malaysia on Sunday before the Asean summit in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. At a ceasefire ceremony in front of a sign that read “Delivering Peace”, the Thai prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, signed an expanded ceasefire deal related to a deadly five-day conflict in July.
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A remote spy base and a ‘criminal’ blockade raise questions about Australia’s complicity in Gaza war

A protest over Pine Gap’s claimed role in genocide has refocused attention on the secretive US satellite base near Alice Springs
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Straight and bare, Hatt Road runs south-west from Mparntwe-Alice Springs before it suddenly swings north through a narrow gap in the MacDonnell Ranges.
It is what lies beyond that draws protesters here time and time again.
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Trump says he is open to meeting Kim Jong-un as he embarks on whirlwind Asia tour

Trip will see him take part in high-stakes trade talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping – but he also raised prospect of meeting North Korean leader
Trump in Asia: five key questions as US president prepares for diplomatic tour
Donald Trump has set off for a tour of Asia where he is expected to take part in high-stakes trade talks with China’s leader, Xi Jinping – telling reporters he was also open to a meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.
Trump, who left Washington on Friday night, is set for a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, his first visit to the region since taking office in January. He is due to arrive in Malaysia on Sunday morning local time.
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Why is Trump, the self-proclaimed ‘president of peace’, aiming to topple the Venezuelan regime?

Marco Rubio has pushed for a tough approach to Venezuela, while the president reportedly only cares about the oil
It was a solemn pledge at the heart of Donald Trump’s “America first” appeal.
A “Make America great again” (Maga) foreign policy would mean the end of military commitments that had in the past sucked the US into draining and drawn-out wars far from its own shores.
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US places sanctions on Colombian president over alleged failure to stop cartels

Treasury accuses Gustavo Petro of ‘allowing drug cartels to flourish’ as president attacks Trump’s ‘oppressive regime’
The US treasury department has announced sanctions on Colombian president Gustavo Petro, one of Donald Trump’s harshest international critics.
“President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity,” treasury secretary Scott Bessent wrote in a post on X. “Today President Trump is taking strong action to protect our nation.”
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