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CLARIN

Kirchner And Putin, The Return Of National Populism

Argentine President Kirchner's recent praise for the way Vladimir Putin handles the press signals a broader shared view on leadership, which does not bode well for liberal democratic values.

Putin and Kirchner in Buenos Aires in July
Putin and Kirchner in Buenos Aires in July
Fabián Bosoer

-OpEd-

BUENOS AIRESPresident Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has added a new component to her geopolitical and ideological worldview: It seems we are not just interested in having ties with Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin for strategic or pragmatic reasons, or to promote greater multilateralism, bilateral ties or "shared interests." But the topic that has drawn Kirchner to Putin lately is a common outlook in such areas as freedom of expression, media and the role of the state.

The Argentine president told her Russian counterpart in a recent videoconference that Moscow's new digital channel in Spanish was helping "democratize the neurons" of Argentine viewers.

But Russia Today, like its Bolivarian counterpart TeleSur, is not presented as another viewing option allowing us to see "different perspectives" on reality, but nothing less than a means of broadcasting "real culture."

One wonders if this meeting of "Putinism" and "Kirchnerism" has other common roots. Both share, at the end of the day, a similar disdain for the institutions of liberal democracy, the same tendency to identify party with government, government with the state and their critics and opponents with the enemies of the people and nation.

And then there is the view toward enemies of their respective pursuits of cults of personality. Reactions to neoliberalism and its effects have provoked a resurgence of popular movements, governments with leftist flags and a re-emphasis on the state's role in attending to the impoverished and excluded. But this comes with a second reaction, not just against economic liberalism, but also political and cultural liberalism.

The rebirth of anti-liberal and anti-imperialist nationalism is neither new nor progressive. As Alberto Spektorowski recently wrote, we are seeing a return of political "movements" typical of the 20th century, incorporating the Left and the Right, "national populism" characteristic of mass mobilizations and authoritarian and reactionary tendencies.

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Society

In Nicaragua, A Tour Of Nightlife Under Dictatorship

Nicaraguan publication Divergentes takes a night tour of entertainment spots popular with locals in Managua, the country's capital, to see how dictatorship and emigration have affected nightlife.

In Nicaragua, A Tour Of Nightlife Under Dictatorship

The party goes on...

Divergentes

MANAGUA — Owners of bars, restaurants and nightclubs in the Nicaraguan capital have noticed a drop in business, although some traditional “nichos” — smaller and more hidden spots — and new trendy spots are full. Here, it's still possible to dance and listen to music, as long as it is not political.

There are hardly any official statistics to confirm whether the level of consumption and nightlife has decreased. The only reliable way to check is to go and look for ourselves, and ask business owners what they are seeing.

This article is not intended as a criticism of those who set aside the hustle and bustle and unwind in a bar or restaurant. It is rather a look at what nightlife is like under a dictatorship.

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