Countering Influence, Securing Opportunity: A Private Sector View from Argentina

As competition for influence deepens across Latin America, Argentina has re-emerged as a pivotal state whose trajectory will shape the region’s stability, supply chains, and democratic resilience. With President Javier Milei’s pro-U.S. reforms opening a rare window for alignment, a BENS delegation traveled to Buenos Aires to assess opportunities for deeper cooperation in defense, energy, and technology.

Through high-level meetings with Argentine and U.S. officials, business leaders, and security experts, the delegation examined how the United States can strengthen its partnership with Argentina to counter growing Chinese influence and reinforce Western values.

A few takeaways:

• Argentina’s geography, natural resources, and skilled workforce make it a regional linchpin for food, energy, and mineral security.
• China’s $18 billion swap line and deep footholds in telecom and infrastructure grant it outsized leverage that the U.S. must offset.
• The Milei government’s reforms and public-private alignment present a real opening for U.S. engagement.
• Expanded cooperation in defense, cyber, and critical energy infrastructure could solidify Argentina as a long-term democratic anchor in the Americas.

Read the full report for the delegation’s insights and actionable recommendations to help secure opportunity – and counter influence – across the Western Hemisphere.