I was searching the website Global Voices for an interesting blog post when I came upon a couple related to the conflict between Great Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. The Falkland Islands are located east of Argentina in the South Atlantic Ocean. They are claimed by both Great Britain and Argentina. The post explained that in 1982, an unofficial war broke out between the two nations when Argentina invaded the islands and occupied them. This caused the British to send troops, and after a couple months, the British were able to retain the islands. Argentina has asked Great Britain to discuss with them the sovereignty of the Falklands, hoping to settle the dispute. However, the British have refused, stating that the citizens of the island have made it clear that they would like to remain under the jurisdiction of Great Britain. Numerous exchanges have occurred between the governments of the two nations in the past year, and countless others have provided their opinions on the subject.
I was surprised to learn about this conflict, since I was previously unaware of it. We have discussed in class the topics of colonialism and imperialism, but I did not realize that the sovereignty of a territory was still under dispute between Great Britain and another nation. When I was reading the blog posts on this issue, I found it interesting they rarely discussed the views expressed by the residents of the Falkland Islands. The posts commented on the positions taken by Great Britain and Argentina, official statements made by leaders of both nations, and the opinions of reporters and journalists. However, it never really examined the opinions of the people living on the Falkland Islands. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, did state that the residents want to be British, and that they will remain British until they decide otherwise. Nothing else was stated beyond that comment. It would seem reasonable for anyone reporting on the topic to investigate and determine what these people have said they want.
I found an article that had interviewed a couple residents of the Falkland Islands. They related stories of the war from thirty years ago, explaining how they resisted the Argentinians when they invaded. While only a couple of the residents were interviewed for the article, it highlighted a point-of-view not readily mentioned. I believe that if the people living on the Falkland Islands overwhelmingly decide that they want to remain tied to Great Britain, then their opinion should be respected. If they want to become part of Argentina, I believe it is their decision to make. While this issue may not seem important when compared to other crises in the world, any problem relating to the self-determination of a group of people needs to be addressed.
Jenny
Blog Entry -
Calzolari, N. (2012, January 26). Argentina: Diplomatic conflict with United Kingdom over Falklands. In Global Voices. Retrieved April 17, 2012, from http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/01/26/argentina-diplomatic-conflict-with-the-united-kingdom-over-the-falklands/
Map - http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/samerica/fk.htm
Other Related Articles -
- Calzolari, N. (2012, February 17). Argentina: Government accepts UN mediation in Falklands conflict. In Global Voices. Retrieved April 17, 2012, from http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/02/17/argentina-government-accepts-un-mediation-in-falklands-conflict/
- de Araujo, R. (2012, February 29). Brazil: Dispute over the Falklands opens debate on economic perspectives. In Global Voices. Retrieved April 17, 2012, from http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/02/29/brazil-falklands-argentina-uk-economic-mercosur/
- Sherwell, P. (2012, April 1). Falkland Islands 30 years on: 'I naively thought the Argentine problem was sorted that day, but now they are causing all sorts of trouble again.' The Telegraph. Retrieved April 17, 2012, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/9177897/Falklands-Islands-30-years-on-I-naively-thought-the-Argentine-problem-was-sorted-that-day-but-now-they-are-causing-all-sorts-of-trouble-again..html
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