Putin-Kirchner: Lush Tango in Moscow

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner met her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 23rd to sign some energy related framework agreements. The two leaders have much in common. Both leaders have a hunger for power and have been accused of shady means to grab and retain it, from rigging elections & using state powers to crush the opposition to media manipulation & promoting a cult of personality. Both their countries' economies are far from stellar, Argentina's experiencing double digit inflation while still not recovered from two sovereign defaults in 2001 and 2014 and Russia's suffering from falling oil prices and imposed Western sanctions. Both leaders also face criticism from the West for their policies. And then there's Crimea. Cristina would love to emulate that sleight of hand that Putin performed last year and get her hands on the Falkland Islands.