Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Argentina Today
Argentina has two faces: it's a country that has harbored both prosperity
and decline. Today inflation is rampant, the economy continues to stumble
and the black market for US dollars remains robust despite government
crackdowns - yet an economic comeback is always around the corner. And
though president Cristina Kirchner's popularity goes up and down, she's a
master of resilience - you should never count her out.
Best in Print
Kiiss o
r Woman (Manuel Puig, 1976) Two prisoners and their developing
relationship in a Buenos Aires prison; made into the Oscar-winning 1985 film.
In P
s of th
f the Sp
e Spide
ider W
In Patagoniia (Bruce Chatwin, 1977) Evocative writing on Patagonia's history and
mystique.
TThe Mo
cle Diiariies (1993, Ernesto Che Guevara et al) Based on the travel di-
ary of the Argentine-born revolutionist.
And th
e Motorcycle D
d the Mo
e Money K
y Kept R
t Rollin
olling In (
g In (and O
d Ouut) (Paul Blustein, 2005) How the IMF
helped bankrupt Argentina.
Best on Film
La h
a hiistoria o
ia ofiicial
ial (The Official Story, 1985) Oscar-winning film on the Dirty War.
Piizza, b
, faso (Pizza, Beer, Cigarettes, 1998) Four Buenos Aires gangster
youths try to survive on the city streets.
Nue
, biirra, f
Nueve r
e reiinas (Nine Queens, 2000) Two con men chasing the big score.
El s
El secreto de s
us ojjos (The Secret in Their Eyes, 2009) Thriller that won the 2010
Oscar for best foreign-language film.
o de sus o
Cristina's Reign
Since Cristina Kirchner's re-election in 2011, things haven't been so rosy. Her popularity
plunged as the economy hit the brakes, inflation skyrocketed and crime kept rising.
The
Economist
and international agencies such as the IMF have accused her government of
cooking the topics (especially inflation figures). Her health has been on the rocks. She had
to have surgery to remove her thyroid in 2012, and she underwent a procedure to remove a
