It’s an Italian car of a country; on its surface, graceful and sleek. In short, Argentina looks great but just doesn’t work. In the 19th century, history books questioned whether Argentina or the United States would emerge as the New World’s great power. Jolted by the Great Depression, Argentina emerged from it relatively rapidly, only to run into a brick wall named Juan Perón. Jonathan Brown, author of “A Brief History of Argentina,” argues that Perón’s rise marked the start of the country’s long, slow slide.

Source: Washington Post December 27, 2018 11:00 UTC