Javier Milei – Davos 2025

“A year ago I stood here before you and spoke some truths about the state of the Western world that were met with some surprise and astonishment by much of the political, economic and media establishment of the West. And I must admit that in a way I understand it. A president from a country that as a result of systematic economic failure for one hundred years as a result of having the country taken weak stances in major global conflicts, and as a result of having closed ourselves off to trade, we had lost practically all international significance over the years. A president of such a country stood on this stage and told the entire world that they were wrong, that they were headed for failure, that the West had gone astray and that it needed to be redirected. The president of that country, Argentina, who was not a politician, had no legislative support, no backing from Governors, business leaders or media groups. In that speech, here standing before you, I told you it was the beginning of a new Argentina, that Argentina had been infected with Socialism for far too long, and that with us it would once again embrace the ideas of freedom. A model that we summarize as the defense of life, liberty and private property. And I also told you that in a way, Argentina was the Ghost of Western Christmases Yet to Come. Because we had already experienced everything you were going through and already knew how it would end.” Javier Milei

This post is, as they say, a bit out of my wheelhouse, but this event seems to me to have broad implications. So, please bear with me while I make a quick recommendation. Take half an hour and watch this video. I believe it will be well worth the investment of time. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=javier+milei+davos+speech+english.

The quote above is the opening of the special address by President Milei to the World Economic Forum this week. To establish some context in case you might not know the players, Javier Milei is the current president of Argentina. He ran a radical and highly unconventional election campaign which generated a lot of enthusiasm. At the same time, he warned the people of Argentina that the road ahead was going to be very difficult. His first year in office has brought about some surprising changes to the Argentinian economy and put it on a path from near failure to significant recovery.

Davos is the place for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) which is the gathering of powerful world leaders, businessmen and financiers who come together to determine what they think is the best path forward all of humanity on earth. That’s you, me, everyone. As an aside, my belief is that they are a strong negative influence, increasing the decay, pain and loss that we feel around the world today. It just so happened that their meeting fell on the same week as the inauguration of the US president, the notoriety of which caused Davos to be a little less noticeable this year.

The reason that this is so significant is that in about thirty minutes, Milei accomplishes at least three things: First, using Argentina as the platform, he describes the abject failure of Socialism, and the direct correlation to capitalism (free markets) and prosperity.

He exposes the underlying disastrous agenda of the WEF, the dangers of ‘Woke’ culture and the impact of these things on civilization.

Finally, he brings hope. Pointing out that he does not feel alone anymore in his stand to bring back Western culture like he did in his first address to Davos, but sees trends around the world where the decline is being reversed. The use of Argentina as the example of ‘The Western Christmases yet to come’, a reference to Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol”, shows that he believes Western culture has indeed long been following a destructive path, but a choice is available. Failure is not inevitable, redemption is possible, but good choices must be made.

I won’t try to recap or add anything to his speech. It is succinct and complete and I would be foolish to think I could add anything. Milei is not the only person to make the points, but what sets this event apart is that this speech was given directly to those who are in opposition to virtually every premise he presents. He calls them out and suggests that if they want to remain relevant, they are going to have to change, because the world is changing around them whether they like it or not. This is a courageous action, two years in a row, and I think it deserves more attention than it has gotten.

Let me know what you think of Milei and his perspectives. Is he on to something? Do you think he’s wrong?

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