BUENOS AIRES — When plans were first made for Argentina to play host to the heads of state of the world’s top economies at this week’s Group of 20 summit meeting, the government saw the gathering as a golden opportunity to portray Argentina as a prosperous, stable nation.

But when the world leaders arrive in Buenos Aires on Friday, they will find a country reeling from a severe recession and rattled by a recent string of security incidents.

Among them are an attack on soccer players by a pack of unruly fans just last weekend, a suspected bombing plot by vegan activists and the recent arrest of a pair of brothers in Buenos Aires suspected of ties to the Lebanese militant movement Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, public worker strikes have led to the cancellation of scores of flights this week and snarled commutes in much of the country.