I read an article in the Guardian recently which said that there are a growing number of young Argentinians are seeing the islands their nation calls the Malvinas as British. This is controversial in a country which has always laid claim to these islands. Argentina fought and lost a war with Britain over what the latter call the Falklands in 1982. The debate over sovereignty of the islands has reignited within the last year with Argentina being accused of plotting a 'blockade' against the islands by pressuring Chile to end Port Stanley flights.
For many this spat between Britain and Argentina over the Malvinas/Falklands seems inevitable and one that will never go away. An Argentine president could never cease calling for Argentine control of the Malvinas because the issue is seen as a cornerstone of Argentine patriotism. Equally, a British government could never cede the Falklands because it fought so hard to keep them thirty years ago. This tension is inflamed by the recent discovery of oil off the coast of the islands.
This has got me thinking about what the solution has to be. For me, democracy is the only way to decide. It may be imperfect, the results will undoubtedly be contested, but it's the only means by which this issue can be resolved: a referendum of the people living on the islands. Do they wish their islands to be part of the Argentinian territory, part of the British territory, or self-ruled? If the results were inconclusive (a majority of 50% plus one would be required) then negotiations would be necessary with the UN as the platform for this.
For many this spat between Britain and Argentina over the Malvinas/Falklands seems inevitable and one that will never go away. An Argentine president could never cease calling for Argentine control of the Malvinas because the issue is seen as a cornerstone of Argentine patriotism. Equally, a British government could never cede the Falklands because it fought so hard to keep them thirty years ago. This tension is inflamed by the recent discovery of oil off the coast of the islands.
This has got me thinking about what the solution has to be. For me, democracy is the only way to decide. It may be imperfect, the results will undoubtedly be contested, but it's the only means by which this issue can be resolved: a referendum of the people living on the islands. Do they wish their islands to be part of the Argentinian territory, part of the British territory, or self-ruled? If the results were inconclusive (a majority of 50% plus one would be required) then negotiations would be necessary with the UN as the platform for this.
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