Falkland Islands: Tensions Rising

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

That wasn't Alan's question...

I wasn't answering Alan, I was answering you and DocDutch

---------- Post added at 09:30 ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris

No ... it's British sovereign territory, military movements there are nobody's business but ours.

Agreed!

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Osem

Times really must be hard in Argentina. I feel sorry for the ordinary people there who're being manipulated in this manner.

I almost feel sorry for Kirchner as well. She has made this her key foreign policy objective, which displays either shocking ignorance or hopeless naivety .... having set herself an aim that anyone outside of Argentina can see is unattainable, all she has actually achieved is to lay the foundations for her downfall. When the voters start to realise she can't deliver, they will simply judge her weak and ineffective.

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by Chris

No ... it's British sovereign territory, military movements there are nobody's business but ours.

Exactly. If the Argentinians hadn't started the sabre rattling in the first place then we wouldn't have needed to beef up the military presence there.

It's probably got more to do with trying to deflect attention from domestic issues:

The Argentine economy is “a time-bomb ticking� warns economist

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by Chris

I almost feel sorry for Kirchner as well. She has made this her key foreign policy objective, which displays either shocking ignorance or hopeless naivety .... having set herself an aim that anyone outside of Argentina can see is unattainable, all she has actually achieved is to lay the foundations for her downfall. When the voters start to realise she can't deliver, they will simply judge her weak and ineffective.

She will probably drag the negotiations out for as long as possible, just to stay in office.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

She will probably drag the negotiations out for as long as possible, just to stay in office.

As of right now she's riding a wave of public patriotism. Apparently there were crowds outside El Presidente's palace last night after her speech to veterans about how they're going to get the Falklands back. Mind you, General Galtieri enjoyed similar support for as long as the population thought his 'policy' on the Falklands was a winner. It turned sour for him pretty quickly after HM Armed Forces brought the policy to a rapid halt.

The key thing to remember, however, is that there are no negotiations, and nor will there be any. The British Government has made clear that as far as it is concerned, there is nothing to negotiate. The Falklands are legally held British territory inhabited by British citizens whose occupation and government is every bit as legitimate as the overwhelmingly ethnic European occupation and government of South America (which Kirchner herself describes as Latin America, a term I think I'd be slightly peeved at if I were an Amerindian native of that continent).

Argentina's territorial claim over the Falklands is at odds with its disinterest in pursuing claims on the mainland over territory that was at one time or other governed by the Spanish Crown's Viceroy based in Buenos Aires - such as, for example, most if not all of modern-day Uruguay.

Kirchner's gambit can continue for only as long as she can convince her people she is making progress. As they are not going to get what they actually want - negotiations, leading to control of the Falklands - all she can do by way of a convincer is to continually ratchet up the rhetoric and pull stunts like grassing the UK up to the United Nations for having the temerity to send the Queen's grandson on a mission to rescue drowning fishermen, or for sending a shiny new naval vessel to replace the venerable but slightly creaky old frigate that's currently in the South Atlantic.

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by Chris

As of right now she's riding a wave of public patriotism. Apparently there were crowds outside El Presidente's palace last night after her speech to veterans about how they're going to get the Falklands back. Mind you, General Galtieri enjoyed similar support for as long as the population thought his 'policy' on the Falklands was a winner. It turned sour for him pretty quickly after HM Armed Forces brought the policy to a rapid halt.

I'm afraid to admit, that I do remember it

[Damien]

It's rather irritating me to see her demand peace and accuse us of militarization.

[adzii_nufc]

Originally Posted by Damien

It's rather irritating me to see her demand peace and accuse us of militarization.

Luckily she'll be more than irritated by a Nuclear Submarine parked on her beach waving a British flag.

[Hom3r]

We'll have to adopt "Don't cry for me Argentina" as our national tune.

[Mick]

I've always been aware of the Falklands War - but never really read up on it's History in great detail in terms of how once Argentina Invaded the Islands back on April 2nd 1982, we had a cat in hell's chance of getting them back.

Also interesting to note how 3rd party nations reacted. Like how the then Libya Dictator, Gaddafi supplied Argentina with Arms.

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Argentina was supported by Israeli IAI advisors, who were already in the country and continued their work during the conflict. Israel also sold weapons and crucial drop tanks that extended the combat radius of Argentine fighter-bombers, in a secret operation triangulated over Peru. Peru also openly sent "Mirages, pilots and missiles" to Argentina during the war. Through Libya, under Muammar Gaddafi, Argentina received 20 launchers and 60 missiles SA-7, as well as machine guns, mortars and mines, all in all, the load of four trips of two Boeing 707 of the AAF, refuelled in Recife with the knowledge and consent of the Brazilian government.

[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by Mick

I've always been aware of the Falklands War - but never really read up on it's History in great detail in terms of how once Argentina Invaded the Islands back on April 2nd 1982, we had a cat in hell's chance of getting them back.

Also interesting to note how 3rd party nations reacted. Like how the then Libya Dictator, Gaddafi supplied Argentina with Arms.

And don't forget that the British government had to buy up all the stocks of exorcet missiles from around the world, to try and prevent them being sold to Argentina.

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

And don't forget that the British government had to buy up all the stocks of exorcet missiles from around the world, to try and prevent them being sold to Argentina.

Really?

[Alan Fry]

Originally Posted by Hugh

In today's Guardian - link

And here is, imho, an empty gesture reported in yesterday's Telegraph I wonder if any actually exist?

Most ships are registered under flags like Panama and Liberia, so that ban can be bypassed!

---------- Post added at 10:08 ---------- Previous post was at 10:07 ----------

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Exactly. If the Argentinians hadn't started the sabre rattling in the first place then we wouldn't have needed to beef up the military presence there.

It's probably got more to do with trying to deflect attention from domestic issues:

The Argentine economy is “a time-bomb ticking� warns economist

I would agree with you on that!

---------- Post added at 10:09 ---------- Previous post was at 10:08 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris

I almost feel sorry for Kirchner as well. She has made this her key foreign policy objective, which displays either shocking ignorance or hopeless naivety .... having set herself an aim that anyone outside of Argentina can see is unattainable, all she has actually achieved is to lay the foundations for her downfall. When the voters start to realise she can't deliver, they will simply judge her weak and ineffective.

When that happens, Argentina would launch an invasion to boost her poll ratings!

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Alan Fry

When that happens, Argentina would launch an invasion to boost her poll ratings!

No, they would not. Please stop taking the discussion round in circles. Go back and read all the previous posts about the likelihood of military action by Argentina.

[Maggy J]

How many times does it have to be repeated that Argentina do not have the money or the resources at this time to mount an invasion of the Falklands.They only managed it the last time because there were no British forces of any kind on the island and no naval or air presence either so they could just stroll in.

Now we have forces and an air force present as well as a naval presence..much harder for the Argentine forces to just land and walk onto the island.

So it's not going to happen.