"I have an important political mission," Eduardo Amadeo said on being appointed Argentina's ambassador to Washington. "I must explain our transition." But diplomatic explanations are not what Argentina needs. It does not need to waste scarce money on diplomacy of dubious value--not when the country lacks an agency dedicated to helping Argentine businessmen sell their goods abroad. Indeed, the sum Argentina spends on its diplomats is what tiny Ireland spends on its Export Promotion Agency, an institution Argentina never bothered to create.
"I have an important political mission," Eduardo Amadeo said on being appointed Argentina's ambassador to Washington. "I must explain our transition." But diplomatic explanations are not what Argentina needs. It does not need to waste scarce money on diplomacy of dubious value--not when the country lacks an agency dedicated to helping Argentine businessmen sell their goods abroad. Indeed, the sum Argentina spends on its diplomats is what tiny Ireland spends on its Export Promotion Agency, an institution Argentina never bothered to create.