Few have been able to overcome the Argentine crack like the brand new United States ambassador. Since the end of January, when he presented his credentials to Alberto Fernández, Mark Stanley He met with Mauricio Macri, Cristina Kirchner, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, Alberto Fernández, Patricia Bullrich and Santiago Cafiero, among many others.
As soon as he arrived on Argentine soil, the diplomat gave an order to his work team: he wanted to meet all the people who were relevant to the political, economic and cultural future of the country. This is how they clarify the diversity of meetings from the embassy: “Since his arrival he has wanted to have a variety of meetings with a diverse group of Argentines and travel around the country to meet him.”
With the agreement with Bottom in the center of the scene in the first part of the year, to Stanley It took him just over two months to become a recognized character in Argentina.
Encounters. On January 20, Stanley and his wife Wendy, with whom he has been in a relationship for more than 40 years, settled in the Palacio Bosch, the majestic embassy on Avenida del Libertador. Four days later, he was already with President Alberto Fernández presenting his credentials. “I thank you for his warm reception,” the diplomat wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, the Government’s battle for the agreement with the Fund had already begun.
His first work meeting with an official came the next day: Gustavo Beliz received it at Pink House, again. He then met with the chief of staffJuan Manzúr. He would begin to jump the crack on February 14, with a meeting of several hours with the mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta. Later, a dance of national ministers: Jorge Taiana, Santiago Cafiero, Matías Kulfas and Daniel Filmus.
But one of the meetings that had the greatest impact was with Mauricio Macri. On March 3, the day the IMF announced that it was closing the agreement with Argentina, the ambassador and the former president met in the courtyards of the Palacio Bosch. “We talked about the relations between Argentina and the United States, and the importance of solidarity to face Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Stanley. Other sources confirm that the subject of the Fund was in the talk, but that they also spoke of one of the main concerns of the Embassy: the political alignment of Alberto Fernandez in Latin America.
About the end of March the meeting with Cristina Kirchner, in the office of the vice in the Senate. It had been a decade since an American ambassador had sat down with the former president. “We share the love for family, the love for our countries, and for Patagonian chocolates!” Stanley revealed of that meeting. And one day later he would invite Patricia Bullrich to the Embassy, to even things out. An all-terrain ambassador.
The meetings with leaders of the Front of All and Together for Change were only part of Stanley’s agenda in the first months in Argentina. He also began to tour the interior of the country: in his office he has a map where he crosses out each district he steps on. For now, he only went to Córdoba, but he plans to go for more.
In each meeting, the ambassador leaves a souvenir to his interlocutors that attracts attention. It is about one of the most booming North American-made products among Argentines: Stanley thermos, a brand with which he, he always clarifies with humor, he only shares the last name.
Character. A sports fanatic, those who do gymnastics in the forests of Palermo usually see him on an unusual bicycle, which does not have pedals but a kind of skis with which he propels himself while standing still. Stanley wanted to clarify why he used it: “I was a runner for a long time, but they replaced my hip and with this bike I can train like before,” he explained.
What he does not usually talk about, not even inside the embassy, is the serious accident he suffered in August 2020 in Park City, Utah, while riding an electric bicycle, which led him to undergo various interventions, including surgeries. of facial reconstruction. It was news in the United States because his name had begun to resonate as one of the promoters of the Lawyers for Biden association. Stanley had become one of the campaign fundraisers for whom he would be elected president. That support earned him the nomination as ambassador to Argentina two years later.
In addition to walking around Buenos Aires, the American ambassador and his wife often go to watch tennis. They were present at the Davis Cup matches and before they had gone to see “Little” Schwartzman at the Argentina Open. They were also photographed in front of a mural by Juan Martín del Potro.
In little more than two months in the country, Stanley became a renowned figure. Any leader of weight, no matter the political position, seeks a photo with him and the ambassador is not willing to succumb to the local crack. At least for now.
