The Argentine culture warrior

Milei (centre) at the Derecha Fest, a large right-wing gathering, in Mar del Plata, Argentina in January. Argentina’s right-wing president has tamed the country’s runaway inflation; now he wants to transform its values. — Sarah Pabst/The New York Times

DRAPED in a yellow cape and black mask, Javier Milei stepped onto a Buenos Aires stage as a makeshift superhero.

Brandishing a salvaged sceptre and wearing kitchen gloves, he declared his mission: to rescue capitalism and restore individual liberty to Argentina.