The first Year of Milei’s Foreign Policy

This article examines the first year of the foreign policy of Javier Milei’s government. A dramatic shift has become evident in Argentinian foreign policy in the last months, mostly marked by a deep alignment with the USA. This stands in contrast to previous Argentine governments, such as the Kirchner (2003-2015) and Fernandez (2019-2023) administrations, which had a regional, sovereigntist, and “Global South” vision, and the Mauricio Macri government (2015-2019), which pursued an “apertura al mundo” (Openness to the world in English) approach through the fostering of closer ties with multilateral organizations and the EU.

Furthermore, a crucial change has been observed regarding Argentina’s historically principled attitude of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Historically, the country has maintained a position of neutrality, advocating for the peaceful resolution of conflicts. This has been based on the principle of the sovereign equality of states. Some key examples of this approach include the Drago Doctrine (1902), the Saavedra Lamas Doctrine (1933) and Argentina’s resistance to USA pressure to enter World War II. Nevertheless, Milei seems determined to break with some of these traditions, although it remains uncertain whether Milei’s government has so far acted based on its ideological convictions or taken a more pragmatic approach. The following paragraphs will explain this in detail.

1- Personalism: a style of conducting foreign policy

Javier Milei appears to extend his disruptive style to the international scenario, often prioritizing his “fight against the woke agenda” over Argentina’s traditional diplomatic practices. In his opening speech at the 79th UN General Assembly, President Milei not only confronted multilateralism, the UN, and the 2030 Agenda but also declared that Argentina will abandon its position of neutrality to take a leading role in the fight for freedom. Moreover, this switch in Argentina’s foreign policy has taken a highly personalist approach, as Milei positioned himself as the leader of the aforementioned fight against the “progressive” agenda which includes gender and climate change policies.

The strongest evidence of this political personalism can be found in the 18 international trips that President Milei has done in his first year in office, surpassing his recent predecessors Mauricio Macri (13) and Alberto Fernández (3) over the same period. Many of these have been aimed at leading the “cultural battle” as an international figure, such as Milei’s visits to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2025.

2- International alliances

Milei has made it clear from the first day: his strategic allies would be the USA and Israel. In fact, Argentina’s international policy has aligned so closely with the USA that, Diana Mondino (former External Affairs Minister) was removed in October 2024 from her position for ideological disobedience following her vote in favour of lifting the embargo on Cuba.

Regarding National Security, this change is also evident. The decision to acquire F-16 Falcons reflects this alignment, prioritizing the US over the Chinese alternative and making a geopolitical choice. As is also described in the article “What’s Going On in Argentine Intelligence?”, several bilateral meetings have taken place between high-ranking officials from diverse security agencies, giving evidence of this approach.

Furthermore, the closeness to the USA became more evident with Donald Trump’s electoral victory. Milei became the first foreign leader to meet with Trump after his victory. But Milei’s foreign policy plan was not only marked by his alliance with Trump but also by his approach to Elon Musk. This move aims to show himself as the leader of the already mentioned cultural battle and to increase connections with the private sector, promoting potential investments in Argentina.

Milei’s policy on Israel also demonstrates the abandonment of neutrality. This marks a fracture from Argentina’s traditional political posture, as evidenced by its vote against recognizing Palestine as a UN member state and its refusal to support a UN resolution calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

Besides, from a symbolic point of view, Milei has found in Nicolás Maduro, current Venezuela’s president, an ideal antagonist. The peak of tensions between the two administrations happened after the results of Venezuela’s election. Argentina did not recognize the result and denounced fraud, escalating the conflict to its highest point when Venezuela expelled Argentine diplomatic staff from its territory.

Last but not least, the ideological break with the Global South is evident in Argentina’s decision to withdraw from joining BRICS, a process initiated by the previous Fernández administration.

3- Pragmatism

There are also aspects of Milei’s international approach that could suggest a predominance of pragmatism over the principles that define his ideology. This is not unusual, as most governments tend to balance their foreign policy between ideological elements and pragmatic considerations.

For example, with Brazil, one of Argentina’s main regional partners, there have been tensions regarding the personal relationship between Milei and Lula. These tensions began with Lula’s open support for Sergio Massa, Milei’s 2023 presidential opponent, and escalated with Milei’s calling Lula a “corrupt communist.” From a diplomatic perspective, the cold relationship was also evident in the unfriendly exchanges between them during the G20 summit in Rio. 

However, pragmatism has also played a role in Argentina-Brazil relations. In November 2024, both countries agreed to investigate the development of infrastructure for Argentina’s natural gas exports to Brazil. Other examples include cooperation in emergency situations, such as Argentina sending humanitarian aid (including an aircraft, three helicopters, two water purification plants, and personnel) to Brazil in May 2024 during the floods in Rio Grande do Sul. Additionally, Brazil took over Argentina’s diplomatic representation in Caracas after Maduro’s ultimatum to kick out Argentine diplomatic staff.

Pragmatism was also evident in Argentina’s relationship with China. During his presidential campaign, Milei had said that he would not “do business” with a communist country. However, after a pragmatic move in relation to the Asian giant, Milei’s government recognized the “One China” principle.  Additionally, during a television interview, Milei even emphasized that China is “a very interesting trade partner. They don’t demand anything; the only thing they ask is not to be bothered”. Another clear evidence of pragmatism in this relationship is the renewal of the currency swap agreement in June 2024.

4- Malvinas islands and Mercosur

Regarding Argentina’s claim over the Malvinas islands, President Milei has frequently stated the country’s aspiration to recover sovereignty over the territory. However, in October 2024, a statement from Argentina’s Ministry of Defense labelled the archipelago as “Falklands” instead of “Malvinas.” This event added to other controversies, such as Milei’s admiration for Margaret Thatcher, the British PM during the Malvinas War (1982).

In relation to Mercosur, Milei’s policy also signals a break from the past. The priority currently appears to be free trade agreements, particularly with the USA. And since such agreements must be negotiated within the block, the possibility that Mercosur could mean an obstacle, has led Milei to view the regional alliance unfavourably.

Final thoughts

It can be observed that, beyond the shift in foreign policy, something that is natural when administrations change, there are some significant points:

• An abandonment of principles once considered immutable, such as neutrality and non-interference.
• A highly personalist approach to foreign policy, often merging Argentina’s diplomatic stance with the cultural battle against the woke agenda and Milei’s ambition to position himself as its global leader.
• A clear alignment with the USA foreign policy, along with moments of strategic pragmatism, particularly in relations with Brazil and China.

We invite our readers to consider these questions: 

• How would you classify Milei’s foreign policy: pragmatic or driven by principles? 
• Do you believe Argentina’s alignment with the USA will bring real benefits? 
• Does Milei’s personal approach to conducting Argentina’s foreign policy conflict with traditional diplomacy?

Suggested readings

Marina, Rosario. One by One: Javier Milei’s Trips Abroad; he travelled more than 274,000 kilometres and was out of the country for 56 days. Chequeado. 6 December 2024.

Merke, Federico; Pereyra Doval, Giselda. Javier Milei and the Global Far-Right: Reshaping Argentina’s Foreign Policy. Brazilian Center for International Relations. 2024.

Stefanoni, Pablo. The Ideology Behind Trump’s Favorite President. Dissent. 4 March 2025.