Thursday, December 27, 2012

Falkland Islands - US Policy fail

The US position on the Falkland Islands was absurd during the 1982 war and remains equally absurd today. Newly released British records indicate that at the height of the conflict (and as the British were about to win a conclusive victory) President Reagan attempted to pressure Margaret Thatcher into a negotiated peace. Reagan apparently sought a solution in which the islands would come under the orbit of an international peacekeeping force. This was an idiotic and immoral suggestion. The islands represented British territory that had been forcibly seized by a foreign state. Had Thatcher accepted Reagan's proposal, she would have qualified British sovereignty and rewarded Argentinian aggression. While we sometimes have political disagreements in important areas (see my comments on the US-UK intelligence relationship and US-UK extradition treaty), on this issue the British deserve our unconditional support.

Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is maintaining a similarly idiotic policy position on the Falklands. By continuously calling for negotiations, the President is letting down our closest ally on an issue of paramount UK concern. It is unacceptable. Imagine if Britain was telling us to negotiate with Russia over the future sovereignty of Alaska

Safe to say, we would not be happy.

 PS - Sad news about Gen. Schwarzkopf. He was a great general - focused on the mission and his men and not politics.

2 comments:

  1. As a former officer in the British Army, it really annoys me what counts as US support. We are expected to support the US but the agreement does not reciprocate. The history is long, most notably in recent times; Suez and The Falklands; no US support. I have no idea what the solution is but like you opinions. We are not a colonial power, the Falkland Islanders are of British Decent and wish to remain so; is that a crime? Here is one for the US; the FI have been British since 1833, how many of your states were part of ‘the Union’ in 1833?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment. I understand your annoyance. I feel that while the US does support the UK in other substantial ways - defense technology, business, intelligence etc. this issue is one major failure.

      Delete