Alberto Fernández moves towards strategic relationship with Joseph Biden backed by national security, climate change and distance from China

Alberto Fernández no longer has doubts about the geopolitical decision that Joseph Biden took regarding his government: The Democratic leader wants Argentina to be his main ally in Latin America to appease regional conflicts that may affect its national security and in return he offers to facilitate negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), grant soft loans for productive projects, establish technology exchange mechanisms and provide public funds to purchase millions of COVID-19 vaccines.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, conveyed Washington’s bilateral proposal to Alberto Fernández without euphemism. It happened last Friday in Olivos, during a three-hour lunch which the president and Sullivan took advantage of to dispel doubts and exorcise prejudices.

-I want to tell you that I was the first in the world to be happy when Biden defeated (Donald) Trump in the election. Trump has done a lot of damage to Latin America, and his defeat made me happy-Alberto Fernández commented on the influential White House security adviser before entering the dining room of the presidential palace.

The head of state’s critical judgment of Trump facilitates his proximity to the Democratic administration. Biden hates the former Republican president for his worldview and the structural damage he has done to America’s own democracy. “It was a failure of the system, self-inflicted damage,” continues Alberto Fernández.

The president agrees with Biden, but he needed to know his conception of national security before moving forward on deepening bilateral ties. Alberto Fernández was trained during the Cold War era, and Washington’s national security has always been associated with a pro-coup doctrine., systematic violations of human rights and economic suffering.

“We are proposing a new social pact, which goes beyond certain conceptions which already characterize the Democratic Party.. President Biden seeks to be an advanced continuation of the plans that (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt and (Lyndon Baynes) Johnson proposed at the time. It’s our idea for the future, ”Sullivan explained over lunch.

And finished: “We have a new concept of defense and national security. We favor health, the environment, social justice and the economic and financial stability of countries ”.

Sullivan’s arguments resolved the president’s ideological and personal doubts. With another political meaning of national security, applied with iron and blood, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan supported all military regimes in Latin America between 1973 and 1983.

Biden considers it a strategic error to appeal to systematic threat and instead proposes cooperation between states and the application of structural plans to bridge social asymmetries in Latin American countries.

An idea that Alberto Fernández supports without hesitation.

Sullivan is the White House’s senior national security adviser. This post was held by Henry Kissinger during the terms of Nixon and John Bolton in the Trump administration. Kissinger and Bolton – each in their own time – fought Peronism. Sullivan is a rare bird: he praised the general when he visited Casa Rosada with Gustavo Beliz – his peer in the Argentine government – and at lunch in Olivos.

“Biden’s thought and Peronism share the same values,” Sullivan said in front of the gigantic painting that shows the political leader with Evita. Additionally, Biden’s influential adviser has requested that he be shown the Balcón de Evita – which overlooks Plaza de Mayo – and he touched with his own fingers the hole left in a column of Balcarce 50 by the shrapnel which fell mercilessly during the naval bombardment of June 16, 1955.

At the end of the historical review of Peronism, Alberto Fernández, Sullivan and Martín Guzmán analyzed the terms of the negotiations that Argentina is undertaking with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In silence, Felipe Solá listened, Cecilia Nicolini -presidential advisor-, Belize, Mary kay carlson – Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United States-, Juan González -adviser for Latin America from Biden- and Ricardo Zuniga, State Department Acting Under-Secretary for Continental Affairs.

Guzmán explained to Sullivan the negotiation strategy with the IMF, the decision to demand a reduction in the rates applied to Argentina’s debt and his take on the need for a global corporate profit tax, which Biden supports from the White House.

After technical explanations from the Minister of the Economy, Alberto Fernández reiterated his criticism of Mauricio Macri’s economic management, assured that his intention is to honor the debt payment and confirmed that he will not accept an adjustment plan imposed by the IMF.

“I understand your look, Mr. President. Negotiation includes an economic negotiation stage. But there is also a lot of politics. I promise to discuss the matter with President Biden. That’s what I’m going to do”, Sullivan assured Alberto Fernández.

Sullivan accepted his tour to Buenos Aires with Belize Yes Jorge Arguello, Argentine Ambassador to the United States. Béliz and Arguello have a decades-long friendship with Alberto Fernández and understand how power works in the world. The Secretary of Strategic Affairs and the Ambassador share the vision for the execution of multilateral diplomacy, but they have always insisted on deepening and strengthening bilateral relations with Washington.

In this context, Béliz and Arguello worked in tandem to achieve symmetry in the issues the president would address with Sullivan. And that’s what happened: Alberto Fernández ratified his decision to accompany Biden on his climate change proposals and thanked the Democratic administration for their willingness to donate 3,500,000 Moderna vaccines to the Argentina.

Sullivan ratified that the White House would support the creation of a new fund to the IMF to finance a change in the productive matrix of medium-sized countries that support the objectives of the Paris Agreement, and in turn, he announced that a $ 500 million line of credit will be opened that the United States will grant to Argentina to acquire COVID-19 vaccines.

China’s diplomatic offensive was brought up during the barbecue in Olivos. Alberto Fernández ruled out a quick call for the 5G tender to improve the technology of the networks used in the country. Xi Jinping, through the company Huawei, intends to colonize most of the countries in the region, and Biden has been explicit on this complex geopolitical question: DC will not allow Beijing to win a single 5G contract in Latin America.

At the Comradeship Meeting of the Armed Forces, Alberto Fernández presented the new directive on military defense policy, which establishes strong control and surveillance of maritime areas. “Progress will be made in the construction of the Antarctic Logistics Pole in the city of Ushuaia, so that its strategic geographical location can be used to supply the Antarctic national bases quickly and efficiently ”, declared the Head of State.

Alberto Fernández’s announcement set off all alarms in the White House. The Antarctic Logistics Pole is a proposal that Cristina Fernández de Kirchner raised years ago, requires an investment of $ 300 million, and from China, they argued that they would have no problem funding a work characterized by its geopolitical importance.

Before choosing the dessert, Sullivan asked about Xi’s intentions regarding the Ushuaia logistics hub. The President instantly replied: “There is no third country in this business. All the funds are national and are foreseen in the budget ”.

Alberto Fernández assumes that he can fulfill a role of diplomatic composer in Latin America, and he believes Biden will respect his personal view of the political conflicts that affect Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

“Trump officials have always asked me to support an invasion of Caracas. Instead, Biden officials ask me how we can help without involving an institutional divide and greater tragedy in the region, ” the president commented when Sullivan had already left Olivos.

In this perspective, Alberto Fernández is determined to deepen the relationship with the United States. A strong presidential gesture subject to an incognito of power: what will CFK do.

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