American Thought Leaders - Inside Argentina’s New Government, with Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich

Episode Date: March 7, 2024

“We decided to change this paradigm from one day to another, and in one month, we have cut our budget in 5 percent of the GDP. It’s historical ... The President declared that Argentina was in zero deficit.”In this episode, I sit down with Argentina’s Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich. We dive into the radical changes her country has experienced since Javier Milei was elected President.“We are deregulating the economy. We are simplifying the economy. We are going to do a huge process of privatization,” says Minister Bullrich. “We have a very huge state. We have to work to have less state, and more private business. That is very important for Argentina.”What are the principles that the new government is operating on? What economic and security policies are being implemented? And what are the biggest threats currently facing the Argentine Republic?“Our biggest issue is the new networks—the linking of criminal organizations with rogue states [such] as Iran, or criminal and terrorist organizations [such] as Hezbollah,” says Minister Bullrich. “Hezbollah—they are businessmen or businesswomen that are there in the city. But they take criminals of Brazil, or Paraguay, or Argentina, and they pay them. So they do the work. They do smuggling, they do narcotrafficking ... and they send the money to Hezbollah in Lebanon.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

We've seen radical changes in Argentina since Javier Millay became president at the end of last year. After aggressively slashing federal spending, Argentina is now experiencing a budget surplus for the first time in nearly 12 years. In 30 of January, the president declared that Argentina was in zero deficit. Incredible.

In this episode, we get an inside look at the new administration with Argentina Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich. We are in a very important moment because we changed the political culture in Argentina. What are the greatest threats currently facing the Argentine Republic? Our biggest issue is the new networks of the link of criminal organizations with rogue states, as Iran, criminal and terrorist organization as Hezbollah. This is American Thought Leaders, and I'm Jan Jekielek.

Minister Patricia Bulric, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders. Thank you very much. It's my pleasure. Well, welcome to America. We've been watching the presidency of Javier Millet with very open eyes, very curious, incredible quick changes happening in Argentina. Yes, really we are doing changes in a very short time, but very deep and profound changes, you know? We have an objective because during 70 years, Argentina was always in populism, and always we do the same things. The budget was, the

state was increased, the people was dependent of the state, everyone works in state and and so we have inflation, deficit and eternal crisis. So we decided to change this paradigm from one day to another. And in one month we have cut our budget in 5% of the GDP. It's historical. So we are doing a change to remove all the obstacles that Argentina has had during so many years. Argentine people, they said, we are not going to change in any way. It is impossible. And now they are looking, they are feeling this change.

So it's so important for Argentina what is happening with the presidency of Javier Millet. What are the principles that you are following? One, the principle is liberty. Argentina was a country captured by the Mafias. You know? Everyone in every state, in every company, in every union, you have illegal business. You try to do a business and it was impossible you have an obstacle one two three four so in some in some of that steps you have to give a bribe to to do business and we are changing all that regulations we are deregulation of the economy, we are simplification of the economy,

we are going to do a huge process of privatization, and also we are doing a change in security, you know? As I am Minister of Security, Homeland Security, we are doing a very important change because in Argentina we have 10,000 riots per year. More or less 30 riots each day. 30 riots a day. 30 riots a day with the roads blocked. Terrible. So we decided to cut that in

the first day and now the police is present in each one of the riots and we don't allow people to go down the sides. They have to be in the sides and they cannot be in the streets. So people in Argentina is, well, now the city is mine. The city was from the violent minorities that every day were at street. And now the cities, not only the city of Buenos Aires, but a lot of cities, now are in the hands of the population because they can use them. Every day was impossible to go to work.

Who was doing this 30 riots a day? Well, there are groups that were being fed by the state. The same state, the Peronist Party that was in the state, gave them money, subsidies, and they want more and more and more subsidies, so they stay in the streets to ask the government every day they give something more, you know? Never ending the cycle. And now we are discovering more or less two points of our GDP

were managed by these named social organizations that are not social organizations. They are the businessmen of the poverty, no? They administrate the poverty with these subsidies that they manage. So we are destroying all this network that is a false network, a fraud for the people. I mean, that's fascinating. So basically you're saying that these people have made a business out of keeping people in poverty. Yeah.

And you're breaking these networks up. Yeah. So that, you know, people can once again function. So some people will tell you, hey, but that's, now you're using the heavy fist of the government and the police and you're blocking the people. Maybe some people saying this yeah yes yes I have the the commission of the organization of the state of the American state they say oh you are using the force in manifestations yes yes we are using it because during 20 years, 20 years, 30 riots every day, it's impossible to live in a country the roads, the streets, the

center of the cities destroyed, the business in the stores in downtown Buenos Aires all shut every day because the manifestation came and break everything. Yes, we have some critics about this. Someone that are saying, oh, the human rights. No, the human rights of 46 million of people were being violated every, every day. It's interesting that you say also that a lot of these organizations are actually in effect state-funded, bizarrely. That is just a very strange reality, but this kind of reality is one that we see actually in many liberal democracies around the world right now where there's you know people that are doing this kind of activity but when you trace it you can actually see there's large nonprofits and actually

even government money going to those nonprofits that are funding it yes yes and in Argentina is 30% of the population have a subsidy so they don't work and they can work but they don't work because the the ideology is stay at home and your work is to go to the mobilization you You go to the street, you block the streets, and that is your work. And with the money of the people, you know? So we are destroying that networks and we are giving back the liberty for the people to choose their life. And how are you incentivizing the people who were these 30% that were on subsidy to begin working and these sorts of things? Well for example we put a telephone to call, a number, a very short number, 134, and we have had in one month more than 80,000 people that said,

if I don't go to the manifestation because I don't want to go because I want to support the government, they take me the subsidy. The organizations were the owners of the subsidy, not the people, not the people. So we receive a lot of denounce, we went to the justice and last week we have the most terrible case. One man that he was in charge of a state office in a province, he used that subsidies to ask sexual favors to 70 women. And they usually say, I give the money if you give me sexual favors

to all the people that work in the state government. What you're describing is an astonishing level of corruption. I mean, just unfathomable level of corruption. Yes. Yes, level of corruption. I mean just unfathomable level of corruption Yes Yes, it's corruption Is the use of the power? Argentina have been in this for a lot of year, but in these 20 years it was like Everyone was like the dependence dependent of the state people say no and now we have a

not a libertarian president that he's like saying everything in front of the people he said we are going to shut a lot of offices in the state, we are going to give the budget for the people, we are going to cut all the privileges that the unions and some business that were like organized for the state, we are going to cut everything. And we are doing it. state we are going to cut everything and we are doing it so we are in a very important moment because we change the political culture in Argentina no well you in three months from what I've been reading and from what experts are telling me is true you've actually balanced the budget yes five points of the GDP of the deficit in 30 of January the president declared that Argentina was in zero deficit zero ground deficit incredible none not seen in any country in the world. We sent a law to the parliament, but

they began to say, well, we will not cut this, we will not cut this, we are not going to give you the instruments the president needs. So we take out the law and we say, well, you don't want to cooperate. We will take out the law and we will use other instruments we have in our constitution. So one of the problems, for example, actually in many countries, we heard about it in the UK, definitely the case in America, definitely the case in Canada as well, is that there is something we call the administrative state that is, you know, the career people who have been in the job for a very long time have their own way of doing things. And then the politician like Javier Millet or yourself comes and says, we're doing differently. And they say, okay, but they keep doing the same thing.

They believe they know better. And we see it's very hard for, even if the politician is elected, with the will of the people to do something. There is a book in England that say, you are the minister. The employees say, you are the minister, but we are the ministry. Yes. So we are now changing that mentality and the ones that are working in the state have to really do the steps because if not they block everything and when you say

where it is the the new plan I want to do in security it's in some office lost in some office so we are trying we are putting all the employees in a situation that they have to work because they are paid to work. They cannot do what they want, but what the policies of the government want. So it's a very important issue. What would you say is the biggest issue for you or another big issue for you? Our biggest issue is the new networks of the link of criminal organizations with rogue states as Iran or criminal and terrorist organization as Hezbollah. They are in Bolivia and have signed an agreement with Iran and there are 700 people of Iran living in Bolivia, we have border with Bolivia, and they are for the Kurds, they are in the

Kurds force, that is the terrorist force of Iran. And in the tri-border, we have Hezbollah, that they are businessmen or businesswomen that they are there in the city, but they they take criminals of Brazil or Paraguay or Argentina and they pay them so they do the the work they they do smuggling they do Narco traffics and they send the money to Hezbollah in Lebanon. So we are really, really looking and we are prosecuting all that people that are part of Hezbollah in our border. Right now I understand Argentina is looking to

designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. Can you tell me about that? So it wasn't before. Hamas is not in Argentina and it's not in Latin America up to today but we have had more like 18 Argentines that have been kidnapped on the 7th of October in Israel. We have a very huge, important and huge community,

huge community in Argentina. We have to declare Hamas as a terrorist organization. And we didn't find them here in the United States because we work together with the FBI and other agencies but we find some business that are in Europe countries linked with Argentina. So next week the president is going to put in a special list Hamas as a terrorist organization. And they said, Argentina is our enemy. Till today we have 12 Argentines that are kidnapped by the... And it's not only the Argentines. All the kids that have been kidnapped, no?

More than 200 people in Israel. We are partners of Israel. Another... I heard that you met with President Bukele of El Salvador yesterday, guys, he was around. And so is this another partnership that's developing? Well, as a minister of security, you know that El Salvador was the most violent country in the world. They do so huge change and all the murders, all the criminal gangs are in jail so we think that it's it's a model that every democracy have to take because you see here now in washington you have a lot of people that are from the trend of aguara remember. Remember this name trend of Aguara. Okay. Isaac is a Venezuelan cartel that is now here in Washington and in New York. You have had

like five killing people in the last month, month here in Washington because they come here and they try to have territory to sell narcotics or drug trafficking so you will have a very important problem here so Salvador have demonstrate have demonstrated that you can go against the gangs. What do you think of the policies in many states in America? New York would be one example, DC as well. There's a lot of leniency to all sorts of crimes, unless you actually kill somebody. Sometimes there's even no bail. I read the other day that if you stole in California less than $1,000, it doesn't matter. If you don't have consequences because you stole $900, the rule of law will be destroyed. So I think that that is terrible.

Of course, there's much more serious crimes than theft. I think it's $900, right? But you're saying that that will lead to the loss of rule of law. Yeah, because the important thing, the principle is that you stole. It's not the principle how much you stole. And that is very important to order a country, to have order, to have rule of law. So tell me about your, I mean, this is just three months and there's been pretty huge changes.

What's next? Well, we have to go deep in the changes. We have more or less 10% of the changes we want to do. We have a very huge state. We have to work to have less state and more private business. That is very important for Argentina. We have to work in developing all we have. We have the second reserve of oil and gas in the world and we are importing

gas because the last government and in the last 20 years the gas in Argentina was the price was 10%. So we have to have the real price to export our gas, export our oil, develop all the products we can. We have the most important extent of agriculture products. And now Brazil is in better condition than Argentina because we have a tax for exportation. How can you have a tax to take out your products? It's really incredible because you are not more competitive in this economy. So if we want to sell to United States, to Brazil, to any country, we have to be competitive, we have to be transparent, we have to have conditions

for the investors to come to Argentina. So that are the next steps we are going to do. I'm fascinated by you because I understand that in the past you were in the Peronist party or this had this kind of view, but then you changed to a more libertarian view. So how did that happen? Well, because when I was 17 years old, the youth people were in the Peronist party. And I began to ask questions to me. What does this mean? They are like fascists.

They are pro-Palestine, they are against the Jewish, and I began to do a lot of questions of what was the meaning of the Peronist Party. So I decided to change, because I am a doctor in political science. I studied my first degree, then the master, then the PhD. And I began to understand more deep the problems of a society. And I changed. I changed because I was in the wrong side of the history. Was there one moment, something happened that made you realize?

Something specific was the violence. Argentina, my movement was a youth movement, but I began to know that it was not only a youth movement but a violent movement so that I see that put the values of my family the value of my heritage in in crisis so I said no I cannot cannot be in the violent sides of the history, I have to be in peace, in democracy. So that was like the point when I discovered that my movement was not a youth movement that you do some manifestations in the streets, some demonstrations, but it was a violent moment. And so I decided to go out of that movement.

You came here to America. Of course, President Javier Millet is going to speak later today at this event. And so tell me more about why you came. Now? Well, because the president invited me. He said, you have to come with me because we have to demonstrate to all the world, all the American people and also all the countries that will be in CPIC that the most important things in Argentina we are changing very in a very deep way are the economy and the and the security do you have any final thoughts as we finish up for us it's very important to be part of a network of people, organizations, parties, presidents that can help us and we can work together.

We are very great to have been invited to this meeting, so important meeting, and we think that we are not so alone. Well, Minister Patricia Bullrich, it's such a pleasure to have had you on. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you all for joining Argentinian Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich on this episode of American Thought Leaders. I'm your host, Jan Jekielek.