Néstor Kirchner and the misadventures of the “center-left” in Argentina

Abstract

Now that the president of Argentina is about to complete four years in office, it is possible and necessary to make an objective and well-founded assessment of his administration. This exercise is valuable not only for what it may contribute to a better understanding of Argentina’s turbulent experience in these years, but also because Kirchnerism belongs to a broader field of phenomena that, for lack of a better characterization, could be considered representative of the “left turn” in Latin American politics. Accordingly, we examine the Kirchner government from this perspective, seeking to question the scope of that turn.