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Welcome to the website for A Chainsaw in the Garden of Evita©, my new book exploring Argentina’s illuminating responses to contemporary globalism.

This emblematic story is set against the backdrop of my travels across the country in 2007-’08 making documentary shorts with an Argentine film crew for the Pan American Dreams project. (Testimonials in bio.).

WHY ARGENTINA?

Argentina may be the most culturally and politically intriguing country in the world today outside the U.S.

Its politics are a harbinger of the political turbulence stirred by a global resurgence in nationalism. This resource rich nation is also a poster child for middle-income nations worldwide that are dealing with the debilitating effects of globalized debt and financialization, even though Argentina has some of the world’s largest shale oil and lithium reserves and is the sixth largest exporter of wheat.

Argentina’s rich national tapestry also includes recent discoveries about the connections between the nation’s ancient pre-history and the origins of life on earth that promise to change our understanding of human history.

Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, won election in November 2023, by flamboyantly campaigning with a chainsaw, not just threatening, but promising to metaphorically use his chainsaw to dismantle more than 75 years of Peronismo, Argentina’s infamous search for a “third way” between capitalism and socialism.

A Chainsaw in the Garden of Evita© traces the post-WWII history of Argentina, from the rise of Peronismo, the idealistic political philosophy of president Juan Perón, embodied in the popular imagination by Evita, Argentina’s nearly mythical First Lady Eva Perón (The historical precursor of the phenomenon that was Princess Diana.) right up to the disruptive ascendance today of Milei and his vehement anti-Peronism.

Add Argentina’s thicket of entanglements with the IMF and World Bank, and it becomes a unique cultural, economic and political Petri dish for examining every strand in modern Western political life in real time.

Contemporaneously, Argentina’s mystical ancient history offers a stunning counterpoint to today’s fatuous dystopian politics. From recent geo-biological discoveries in the Puna, Argentina’s salt desert of more than 500 square kilometres, one of the largest in the world, that scientists believe may hold the keys to the origins of life on earth, to sacrificial rituals by our ancient Andean ancestors that offer sobering lessons about the meaning and value of human life today, our story takes place far outside numbingly scripted media echo chambers.

I explore and contextualize these startling contrasts in new ways guaranteed to shift the angles of perception.

Much of the book is already written. I spent December 2024 in Buenos Aires doing additional research. Final editing and design are being done in Paris, where the ideas that guide the narrative first took shape.

This book is the first in a trilogy planned for publication over the course of 2025-’26. The central theme in all three books is magical thinking – past, present and future.

As you follow me on this adventure, we learn together how Argentina both mirrors and anticipates global trends in the struggle to balance political ideals with economic realities in a world flirting with a nuclear nightmare.

The allure of Argentina’s colorful history, both ancient and contemporary, its bold responses to intractable modern challenges and its sometimes inspirational triumphs echo far beyond its borders.

If you would like to learn more about the project, have questions, want to help in other ways or just want to brainstorm, please do not hesitate to reach out. I look forward to talking with you. 

Michael’s Bio

Michael is an internationally published political analyst, educator and media producer. He has worked as a consultant and media strategist on US political campaigns at the local, state and national levels for more than two decades.

Michael co-founded the 1.0 million member Courage California organization (Originally called the Courage Campaign.) in California and traveled to every area of the state for several years organizing, training and as a motivational speaker to grassroots political activists while growing the organization’s membership and political capacity.

Since 2016, Michael has traveled widely in the U.S., Europe and Latin America investigating and learning from new citizen driven political and civic initiatives that are changing the way civic life is conducted. Reports on Michael’s journey have been published worldwide. He is an English language columnist for Truthout, a Spanish language columnist for the  Montevideo Portal in Uruguay, Resiliente Magazine in México and an international columnist for Pressenza.

Michael’s investigations and collaborations led to the founding of the Reimagining Politics project in 2017, with the mission of showcasing alternative models of successful citizen-driven political initiatives outside of parties and government. These initiatives are fundamentally changing outdated election-centered politics by accelerating hybrid forms of direct democracy. 

Michael graduated with a BA in Liberal Arts from the University of Montana in Missoula with an emphasis in philosophy and history. His writing offers a rare mix of philosophy, reportage and personal reflection distilled from nearly 20 years of travel, research and field investigation at the intersection of politics and culture.

Social media are linked below.

What people are saying about Michael Meurer

“Meurer’s breadth of perspective and knowledge, incisive decoding of neoliberal bullshit, provision of context and highly developed sense of irony provide a piercing diagnosis, and then he demonstrates how it all could be otherwise — compelling!”  – Leslie Thatcher, Editor Emeritus, Truthout.org

“Michael Meurer is an American original and that rarest of things today – a truth teller.”  – Robert K. Tanenbaum, former Deputy Chief Counsel for the House Select Committee on Assassinations

“Michael Meurer’s voice is essential for these times. He is an original thinker with three rare qualities: a vast knowledge, a deeply human perspective and a keen eye to see beyond the obvious. Michael shows you the forest while others are busy staring at the trees.” – Martín Otheguy, Deputy Editor, Montevideo Portal, Uruguay

“There is no topic Michael Meurer can’t speak on with erudition.  I have personally witnessed him hold the rapt attention of groups of people on subjects ranging from theater to economics and everything in between, and he brings this same engrossing intelligence to his writing. The fact that his self-deprecating sense of humor is as deep and sharp as his intellect is icing on an already delicious cake.” – Jennifer Lassalette, Assistant General Manager – Actors Studio West

“More than ever before we are in need of new solutions that embrace peoples’ participation, direct democracy and self-governance of communities. Michael Meurer not only finds and studies these new models which are emerging all over the world, but also writes about and connects them, helping them gain strength and access to a wider audience. His solution-orientated work and writing could not be more timely, bringing much needed hope and a vision for a better future for all.” – Evelyn Rottengatter, Editor Geman-language edition of Pressenza International Press Agency

Michael Meurer’s storytelling brings the realities of politics and policy to life and gives us a deeper understanding of how people are affected through a unique mix of presence and listening backed by rigorous research and data. Anyone looking for intelligent assessments and frank commentary on today’s challenges to democracy should follow and support his work.  – Dr. JJ Walcutt, Senior US Government Science Advisor and author of “Who the F*** wants to be President” 

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