Fernandez looks further afield

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's will this week conclude her visit to New York.

This Friday, Fernandez is scheduled to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and the deputy chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Jerry I. Speyer. Fernandez has been travelling with her husband, President Nestor Kirchner, on his last visit to the UN General Assembly before leaving office.  Yet it is unclear who is accompanying whom. Her visit to New York has included addresses at New York University (on human rights) and the Council of the Americas (on business), as well as a brief meeting with former US President Bill Clinton, which telegraph her intention to take a more pro-US and pro-business stance than that of her husband.

Fernandez's campaign to date -- much of it conducted outside Argentina, on semi-official visits throughout Latin America, Europe and the United States -- points to a far greater interest in foreign affairs than the inward-looking Kirchner.  Washington will watch one area with particular interest. While relations with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may cool somewhat, the fact that Caracas remains an important market for Argentine sovereign debt will preclude any major shift -- even if Fernandez's preferred candidate, Hillary Clinton, is sitting in the Oval Office in 2009.