Javier Milei’s Foreign Policy

Between Peripheral Realism and Libertarian Lenses

Abstract

This article contributes to the contemporary debate in the field of Foreign Policy Analysis concerning the theoretical foundations underpinning Argentina’s foreign policy under Javier Milei’s administration. Within this scenario, several specialists have characterized Milei’s foreign policy as an emblematic —and even extreme— case of what the Argentine scholar Carlos Escudé (1992) conceptualized as Peripheral Realism. In dialogue with these interpretations, the article asks: which elements of Peripheral Realism are present in Argentine foreign policy by the midpoint of Javier Milei’s term? Building on this question, the study examines Argentine foreign policy during the first part of the libertarian presidency (December 2023–March 2026), identifying the aspects of this theoretical approach that have informed its design and implementation. Based on a qualitative analysis of primary and secondary sources and considering the administration’s priority relationships and issues, the article argues that, although some tenets of Escudé’s work appear to be reflected in the policy’s design, Milei’s foreign policy departs from core prescriptions that structure the theory. These departures make it possible to characterize the libertarian experience through three distinctive features.