When Javier Milei first swam into the consciousness of global media, proclaiming the gospel of free markets, tousle-headed and wielding a chainsaw, he was regarded as good copy, but a libertarian eccentric of no serious political significance. Today, he is president of Argentina and he began this year by providing economically basket-case Argentina with its first monthly budget surplus in 12 years, and the first surplus for the month of January since 2011.