His plan worked. Foreign investment poured in, and GDP grew an average 8.2 percent between 1991 and 1994. But it made Argentina's exports more expensive than those of rivals like Brazil. So much for the economic mess. Politics present problems of their own.
Most countries call it anarchy.
The president changes his mind so many times on the same subject that we lack any direction. Tightening the country's purse strings would bring down interest rates and ignite spending. Or so he said. He put centrist Machinea in charge of the economy. Machinea raised taxes, cut spending and predicted that Argentina would grow at least 4 percent in 2000.