Island Tango

With their afternoon tea, brogue accents, and fields of diddle-dee, just who do the Falklands Islanders think they are?

BY STEPHANIE PEARSON | MARCH 5, 2010

To the rest of the world, the Falklands War may have seemed like a bizarre blip on the geopolitical radar screen. But in the Falklands (known to Argentina as "Las Islas Malvinas"), the 74-day conflict is remembered rather differently. It started on April 2, 1982, when more than 1,000 Argentine special forces landed near the capital city of Stanley, and it ended 10 weeks later when Argentina surrendered after a massive British naval task force left 649 Argentine soldiers dead. Families in both Stanley and outlying farm settlements remember that they were herded like sheep by invading Argentine forces and imprisoned in their own homes for weeks. If a settlement wasn't invaded, the Argentines simply cut off all communication and supplies.

Such memories are why Falkland Islanders still aren't very fond of the "Bloody Argies" and are less than thrilled to be back in the news, this time over an oil controversy with their former invaders.

In the past month, British exploration companies have resumed oil-drilling operations in the North Falklands Basin, where Shell estimates there may be up to 60 billion barrels of hydrocarbon deposits. (The statistic comes with a caveat: "The Falklands is a frontier area with no supporting oil industry nearby, so planning and executing drilling programs takes time," says Phyl Rendell, director of mineral resources for the Falkland Islands. "It took Newfoundland 30 years before they found commercial hydrocarbons.")

Yet even these first steps toward oil extraction by British companies have brought back into the headlines a long-standing dispute about sovereignty over the island. The issue dates back to the early 19th century, when Argentina claimed sovereignty over the archipelago. In 1833, the British, who had first established a colony in the Falklands in 1765, reasserted their own claim and the islands have been de facto under British control ever since.

On the particular issue of offshore drilling rights, in the past 15 years there have been talks between the U.K. and Argentina regarding the oil deposits; they just haven't gone anywhere. Recently, when Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, who has described the islands as "a colonial enclave and embarrassment for the 21st century," met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she implored the United States to step in and mediate the oil issue "so that we can sit down at the table and discuss sovereignty."  

Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images

 SUBJECTS:
 

Stephanie Pearson is a contributing editor to Outside magazine.

MUKELI

11:33 AM ET

March 6, 2010

Argentina will not launch a

Argentina will not launch a second invasion the islands anytime soon. They don't have to worry about just the British response, but also that of the U.S. Obama would no doubt allow the transport of British forces on American planes and ships, just like Reagan. And unlike Iraq or Afghanistan, the British public would wholeheartedly support retaking the islands. Having lived and worked in Britain, I know this for a fact. Heck, I bet Gordon Brown wouldn't mind a second invasion on some level, as it would help Labour in the elections this year.

Moreover, Argentina itself is very different today than when the Falklands War broke out in 1982. Now there is a democratic government focused on economic growth, whereas in the '80s it was a junta bent on staying in power amongst civil unrest. The Argentinians themselves realize that trying to take the islands by force a second time would not be successful. Basically, the Argentina of today has more to lose economically and politically than that of the 1980s.

Will Argentina ever get the islands? I don't think so. It would be foolish though for any Argentinian politician to renounce the claims, so we can expect the Argentinian government to continue laying claim. When the oil rigs begin operation exploring the sea for oil, it would be unthinkable for the Argentinian military to take any hostile action, as the international community would come down hard on them precisely because they are a weak country relatively (just think of what the U.S. would do to Argentina through the World Bank and IMF). Expect the Argentinian government that "loses" the islands to be out of office shortly thereafter.

 

PIERDONIA

12:16 PM ET

March 6, 2010

From what I understand,

From what I understand, Argentine military spending has fallen while after the war the UK installed superior defenses to those present before. I have little expertise in the area, but from what I've read it would seem Argentina would lose another war, and more convincingly even than the first time. The political/economic/manpower cost would be greater this time, and as Mukeli points out, at a time they can less afford to pay it.

 

BUZONGTANG

4:17 PM ET

March 7, 2010

NATO and strategic oil reserves

Technically speaking, as far as the Western community is concerned the Falklands fall under British sovereignty and borders. If Argentina by some miracle achieved a successful attack against the Falklands which the British could not repel, then the NATO alliance would be obligated by treaty to intervene on Britain's behalf. Britain is also highly unlikely to want to let go of the territory given the potential oil wealth to be exploited. In an age where peak oil is a serious potential concern for policymakers and international demand for energy is only rising, both Britain and the Western sphere would have geopolitical reasons for maintaining Falklands security against Argentina. In other words, the Falklands are not likely to leave British control anytime soon, regardless of what Argentina does.

 

LAKEFXDAN

4:59 AM ET

March 9, 2010

NATO

Just a note: Article 6 of the NATO Treaty specifies the territories under which the joint obligation applies, and the Falklands are not included, being south of the Tropic of Cancer. The US professes neutrality on the Falklands question.

 

PEACEWONK

11:17 PM ET

March 7, 2010

Who do they think they are? Falklanders!

The issue of identity in the Falkland Islands is a very strong one. In the short time after the war, the residents got British passport, a complete system of military defense from the UK, and their own economic independence.
It's amazing what they were able to do to progress, from being a simple agrarian society to the level of development they present today. Oil will be the next step, and is a good bet that if it is there, changes are going to be great for them.
They are managing to develop a different culture form the UK, based on their own traditions. The almost permanent conflict with Argentina is reinforcing a local identity proud of their own accomplishments.
www.falklands-malvinas.com/forum