Feud over Falklands: Argentine President Reignites 40+ Year Old Tensions
The Falklands are two small islands off the coast of Argentina that are home to about 3,465 British citizens. While these two islands may seem insignificant, they have been the source of controversy for more than forty years, and their history goes far beyond that.
First settled in 1764, the islands were passed around between France, Spain, Argentina and England until the British reasserted their rule in 1833. Argentina invaded in 1982 during the Falklands War. The war lasted two months and claimed 907 lives, including 649 Argentinian servicemen, 255 British servicemen, and three civilians, before the UK restored their administration and defeated Argentinian forces.
Despite their military defeat and a referendum in 2013 in which the islanders overwhelmingly voted in favor of remaining British, Argentina maintains their claim on the islands which they refer to as “Islas Malvinas”. Argentine President Javier Mili reignited this claim earlier this September after 0il companies released plans to begin operating off the coast of the islands in 2028 in cooperation with the British government. However, since Argentina considers the island their territory, they consider this to be illegal as the oil companies did not ask them for permission. In a recent speech, Mili declared that the Argentine government would be taking legal action against these companies. “Argentina will not stand idly by,” he declared, “Any further advance on the Malvinas Islands will be considered a violation of our national security.”
On September 17th an Argentine judge ordered the immediate halt of all oil operations in the Falklands. However, seeing as the UK does not recognize Argentine authority over the islands, it is unlikely that the oil companies Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration will stop. The judge even acknowledged this, saying that the validity behind this action “depends on international cooperation”. The region now holds its breath and can only hope this will not cause a second war.
