The Pragmatic Turn: Economic Interdependence and Argentina’s Strategic Reorientation toward China

Abstract

This analysis examines President Javier Milei’s diplomatic transformation from ideological confrontation to pragmatic partnership with China, revealing how contemporary middle powers navigate the tension between domestic political imperatives and structural economic realities. Through a multi-theoretical lens integrating complex interdependence, economic statecraft, middle power theory, and institutional path dependence, this study demonstrates how Argentina’s strategic recalibration reflects sophisticated diplomatic entrepreneurship rather than mere policy capitulation. Drawing on qualitative case study analysis, comparative regional evidence, and historical institutionalism, the paper argues that economic pragmatism increasingly supersedes ideological alignment in South–South cooperation. These findings contribute to existing debates on dependency relationships while revealing the institutional resilience that enables sustained cooperation across political transitions in an increasingly multipolar world.

JEL: F50, F51, F53