Miley finally hits the brakes | Far-right summit in Brazil

Javier Miley attended the summit of the far right CPAC (Conservative Action Political Conference) organized by Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, where he supported the former president – who this time faces a new charge for alleged misuse of assets – maintaining that “he is a judicial oppressor.” The Argentine president has been straining relations with his counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and there was speculation about the possibility of a short circuit in bilateral relations, but yesterday he restrained himself in his speech and avoided mentioning or offending Lula. His criticisms were generally aimed at the “socialism of Latin America”, which Miley promised, adding, “We are going to knock it out from all sides where it is.”

In this way Miley put the brakes on, and avoided taking the conflict with Lula to a higher level, which would have brought Argentina-Brazil relations to the brink of breaking – as happened when he traveled to Madrid, where he confronted the president and the secretary of the party, the Spanish socialist activist, Pedro Sánchez – but the trip itself marks a chapter that worsens relations between the governments of the two countries: it was Miley’s first visit to the neighboring country since becoming president and it would have been a gesture that could not but please Lula, whom he has never met – remember that Lula did not even come to his swearing-in ceremony, to which Miley preferred to invite Bolsonaro, treating him as head of state, even though the far-right had just completed his term. This also includes steps backwards in Argentina’s participation in the region, as Miley will not attend the Mercosur presidents summit to be held this Monday in Paraguay, with the excuse that “agenda issues” prevent him from doing so.

In fact, the ideology of the Latin American right gathered in the seaside resort town of Camboriú includes the position of ending regional integration in order to facilitate a free trade agreement with the United States, especially if Donald Trump (a regular at CPAC events) wins the November elections.

The Coup

Milley is known for seeing socialists everywhere; when speaking before CPAC, he began by criticizing the “economic and cultural prescriptions of socialism in Latin America” ​​- a term in which he includes the Kirchnerist governments – and what he blames on them as the main sin, the increase in public spending. This is where he was when he said that the opponents of his government (and in general, the right wing) are “coup plotters”: “The same people who fill their mouths talking about democracy, pluralism and oppression are the same people who are willing to break the rules and even disrupt the constitutional order,” he said.

As part of the same alleged coup movements, he listed the “judicial persecution” that Bolsonaro would suffer, who has been charged by the Brazilian Federal Police for the alleged misappropriation of a series of diamond jewelry that he gave her during a visit to Saudi Arabia when he was president and that he should have returned when he left the government.

Finally, the demonstrations against the Bases Law were also classified by Miley as the product of this entire network opposed to market freedom – it is surprising how many socialists also turn out to be in Argentina – who, according to the president, are “inclined to resort to violence and extortion to hinder the changes expected by society.”

He assured that “for this same reason, a few days ago they sent a small army to spread chaos at the doors of Congress, to set cars on fire and to ransack the city, to extort money from legislators for rejecting our reforms.”

And he congratulated himself for having, despite everything, approved the Base Law with which “we have carried out the most important labor and economic reform in the history of Argentina”, a reform “five times larger if we add to it that it is an order of magnitude of necessity and urgency eight times larger than the largest reform in the history of Argentina since we took power.”

Summit statistics

At the CPAC meeting, far-right leaders such as Chile’s José Antonio Kast and Mexican Eduardo Verásátegui gathered. In charge of the summit’s gathering was Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, his virtual personal “chancellor” and with whom Miley has a close relationship.

Miley thanked Jair Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo for the welcome and declared: “They really make me feel at home and it’s always a pleasure to be among friends.”

He traveled with his sister and presidency secretary Karina Miley, Defense Minister Luis Petri, spokesman Manuel Adorni and presidential documentary filmmaker Santiago Oria.

In other segments of his intervention, Miley attacked Venezuela and the management of Nicolás Maduro, which he described as a “bloody dictatorship”.

Concluding his speech he called for action and resistance against socialism. He stressed the need to maintain economic and political freedom and encouraged his followers to fight for these values. He declared, “Whether the socialists like it or not, we will get out of misery, with or without their support.”

“People know that socialism is a degenerating and violently murderous phenomenon. That is why they are becoming extinct and we are going to expel them wherever they are. The wind of change that began in Argentina and is spreading today throughout the world will reach every corner where freedom is suppressed”.