Argentina: Kirchner, Duhalde and Political Healing

With difficult debt-restructuring talks set to begin, Argentine President Nestor Kirchner unwittingly opened a rift in his alliance with former President Eduardo Duhalde. It must be closed before Duhalde's political machine begins to churn out protests against the government, thereby weakening Kirchner's leverage in debt negotiations. The price of healing probably will mean the sacrifice of at least one Cabinet member.