I’m not an Argentinian political expert but one thing that’s been massively under-reported is Javier Milei’s connections with transnational dark money, and climate denial, including in the UK.
Milei describes anthropogenic climate change as a 'socialist lie', which is just the kind of rhetoric you’d get from the US-based Heartland Institute, one of the more than 500 ‘free market’ think tanks that are part of the Atlas Network.
Atlas has spent decades - and huge sums of largely anonymous money - trying to influence Latin American politics, providing more than $10m to its affiliated think tanks in the region over the last decade alone.
The Atlas Network was founded by Antony Fisher, who originally set up the Institute of Economic Affairs. Atlas members include the IEA, the TaxPayer’s Alliance and other UK ‘dark money’ think tanks, and the aim is to ‘co-ordinate’ strategy around the world.
Milei’s Liberty Advances coalition and his movement have deep ties to the Atlas Network.
As Intelligence Online recently reported: “Atlas has ten partners in Argentina, including Fundación Federalismo y Libertad and Instituto Libertad y Progreso. The website of Fundación Atlas, one of its key allies, says it "works in synergy" with dozens of international organisations, among them US think tanks such as Cato, the Heritage Foundation, the Independent Institute and the Foundation for Economic Education.”
“Fundación Atlas has served as an unofficial PR agency for Milei, whose writings are carried on a dedicated page on its website. He also held a seat on the advisory board of Fundación Libre, another of Atlas's fraternal think tanks in Argentina.”
Milei is expected to bring a number of Atlas-linked figures into government with him. Members of the Fundación Atlas's Academic Council are rumoured to be in line for cabinet positions. Another of Milei's advisers, Alberto Benegas Lynch, works with Atlas Network groups in Argentina, Uruguay and Guatemala.
Milei’s victory will be bad news for Argentina’s democracy, and for climate action, but it is striking how many in the world of dark money think tanks, in the UK and around the globe, are already either openly celebrating Milei’s victory or downplaying its significance.
I’ve previously written on some connections between Atlas Network members and climate denial funders on my Substack and expect to be doing more on this in the coming months.
