“Instead of talking about growth at Chinese rates, the world will soon be talking about growth at Argentine rates,” crowed Javier Milei on late-night television on April 11th. His economy minister had just outlined a $20bn IMF programme, a reduction in capital controls and a shift to a more flexible exchange rate. Yet not everyone in Argentina is so triumphant. On April 10th, soon after the news of the IMF deal first broke, a pre-planned general strike against Mr Milei’s spending cuts paralysed the country. Jorge Newbery Airport in Buenos Aires, the capital, was left empty. Trains and subways were silent. Uncollected rubbish mouldered on the streets.
