The Falkland Islands have long been shrouded in controversy. Argentina’s claims to the islands have, for many decades now, been disputed by Britain who state that the islands remain overseas British territories. However, in the past week all but three of the Falklands Islanders voted YES, to which there was 92% voting turnout, in answer to the referendum question which asked: “Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?” If we take the view that the islanders have the right to self-determination it would seem that the Argentines are fighting a losing battle. However that is not how President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner sees it and it seems unlikely that Argentina will give up their claim to the islands.
This dispute between Argentina and Britain has long been controversial and the whole debacle escalated, when in 1982 the Argentine military junta decided to invade the islands. The invasion, it has been argued, was an attempt to restore support at a time of economic crisis by reclaiming sovereignty of the islands. However, the UK government, which was headed by Margaret Thatcher at this point, stated that the 1,800 Falklanders were “of British tradition and stock” and thus military force was sent to reclaim the islands 8,000 miles away. During the brief but bitter battle 655 Argentine and 255 British servicemen lost their lives, as did three Falkland Islanders.
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Since then Argentina has changed tactic, peacefully laying claim to the islands. Most Argentines regard the islands, which they call Las Malvinas, as Argentine and this is particularly emphasised by the fact that their recovery is enshrined in the national constitution. Despite the fact that the ballot box has demonstrated the islanders wish to remain British, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has made clear that her country does not recognise the referendum, insisting it has no legal validity.
David Cameron has called on Argentina to respect the wishes of the people of the Falkland Islands; as Nigel Haywood, governor of the Falkland Islands has highlighted, “it is a major principle of the United Nations that a people have their right to self-determination, and you don’t get a much clearer expression of the people’s self-determination than such a large turnout and such a large Yes vote.” After such a unanimous Yes vote it is difficult to understand Argentina’s hold on the islands. Argentina has no modern connection or claim to the windswept islands other than relative geographical proximity. They are situated about 300 miles from the southern Argentine coast, but Britain has controlled them since 1765, well before the state of Argentina even existed. The inhabitants of the Falkland Islands overwhelmingly wish to remain British, as demonstrated by the referendum, which means that Argentine demands for ‘decolonization’ are at odds with the principle of self-determination.
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Argentina’s president, Cristina Fernández, often uses the controversy surrounding the islands to change the subject from her country’s economic problems. She called the vote a “parody” and likened the result to “a group of squatters deciding whether to continue occupying a building”. “We respect that [the islanders] want to stay being British,” said Alicia Castro, Argentina’s ambassador to Britain. “But the territory they inhabit is not.”
There is no right answer, however surely the inhabitants ought to have the right to self-determination. If Argentina’s argument is based solely in geographical proximity surely Canada could argue then that Alaska ought to be Canadian territory? Or New Caledonia ought to belong to Australia instead of France?
HCX wonders what your opinion on the Falkland Islands is? Does Argentina have a right to claim sovereignty or should the world let the inhabitants of the islands have the right to self-determination, as enshrined in the charter of the United Nations? Foreign Secretary William Hague recently said that Britain looks forward to working together with Argentina in a dialogue that accepts the facts of history and acknowledges the express will of the Falkland Islanders.
Sources:
http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/falklands-30th
AFP