The Falkland/Malvinas islands represent a classical TERRITORIAL DISPUTE in which several international agents claim sovereign rights for different reasons over the same piece of land. Argentineans, the Falkland/Malvinas islanders and Britons have an ongoing argument.
The solution seems to require a mutually exclusive relation amongst them because it is assumed that the sovereignty over the third territory can be granted to only one of them. Indeed, sovereignty is often regarded as an absolute concept (that is to say, exclusive, and not shareable).
The Falklands/Malvinas are a clear example of a zero sum game, with many negative outcomes of different sorts (e.g. inefficient exploitation of natural resources, tension in international relations, and threat to local and international peace).
Thus, while these conflicts are in principle confined to specific areas and start with negative consequences primarily for the local population, they tend quickly to expand to the regional and—even—the international level (e.g. effects on international price of oil, war). There are many issues at stake domestically and internationally.
Only to have a glimpse, today’s posts includes below articles from the media covering this territorial dispute. The reader will have a glimpse in relation to the dispute, natural resources, Brexit, and some other key issues pertaining the Falklands/Malvinas. The articles are all recent and and include media from Argentina, the Falkland/Malvinas islands and the United Kingdom.
In all cases, although this sovereignty conflict has been and is object of study of many sciences—law, political sciences, international relations, only to name a few—these sciences do not share their developments and both different approaches and different languages were applied. Indeed, although multi and inter-disciplinary studies are promoted in speeches everywhere, it is more a nominal aim rather than an actual reality.
I realised that the answer was very simple. Some problems are never solved because most look for more problems, problems within a problem, or just simply give up or are so self-centred they think that problem will not affect them and hence, why would they even think about it. Ergo, the answer came to me: some problems like Kashmir are never solved because people (or their representatives) do not look for a solution.
THE DISPUTE, THE 1982 WAR and ONGOING PROBLEMS SINCE THE WAR
The Telegraph
On this day in 1982: The Falklands War begins, after the Argentine flag is hoistedover South Georgia
Clarín (in Spanish)
(The removal of mines in the Falklands)
“The British are advancing with the demining in Malvinas, and this is how it was seen last week. Tal como informó recientemente la agencia Mercopress se va terminando una fase y se reanudará la próxima en el verano austral del 2019 hasta 2020. As recently reported by the Mercopress agency, a phase is being completed and the next one will resume in the austral summer of 2019 until 2020.”
Jewish News
“Britain’s Falklands Islands are to be protected by the same technology behind Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system.”
The Guardian
“Until they were invaded by Argentinian forces on 2 April 1982, the Falkland Islands did not loom large in the nation’s consciousness. Most Britons would have been hard-pressed to locate them on a map.”
“To go to a place in which it’s legitimate to kill and maim people, to watch your friends die in horrific ways, and then come back to a place where none of those things is acceptable is not a journey the mind can easily make.”
ARGENTINA and the UNITED KINGDOM
Telam (in Spanish)
(The claim over the Falklands is indeclinable)
MercoPress
MercoPress
“The release follows underlining that the Argentine presentation ratifies the competence of the UN General Assembly in issues regarding decolonization as well as the principle of territorial integrity, and likewise the obligation of holding negotiations and not taking unilateral actions contrary to the decolonization process.”
NATURAL RESOURCES
The Times
“Banks and big investors are showing new interest in the oil sector as prices rebound, the boss of Premier Oil has said, improving options for funding its proposed Falklands development.”
SMARTA
“[…] the forecast long-term financial plan surplus for 17/18 is £26.595Million. If fishing revenues all come in this year, the surplus could well be over £30Million. FIG funds Market values which include pension, insurance and growth funds that on 31 December 2017 totalled £371.3Million.”
MercoPress
BREXIT
The Independent
“It was laid bare when EU countries helped inflict a humiliating defeat on Britain over the legal status of the Chagos Islands, in a UN vote in June, he told MPs.”
“Lord Hannay said the UK had traditionally been able to influence Washington and shape EU policy at the UN, as a permanent member of the security council. “It goes without saying, I’m afraid, that – since June of last year – those two pillars of our influence at the United Nations have been shaken.”
The Financial Times
WHEN ALL PARTIES DECIDE TO COOPERATE
There are some recent very good news. Argentina, the Falkland/Malvinas islands and the United Kingdom show promising signs.
Reuters
“Scientists analyzed 122 sets of human remains in 121 anonymous graves in the Darwin Cemetery in the South Atlantic, an ICRC spokeswoman said. One of the graves, which were all marked ‘Argentine soldier only known to God,’ had two bodies.”
The Times
La Nación (in Spanish)
(In photos: the emotional ceremony in Malvinas)
The New York Times
“I was finally able to cry at his grave.”
The Times
“An RAF aircraft that was scrambled to join the search for a missing submarine touched down in Argentina last night. It is understood to be the first RAF plane to land there since the Falklands conflict.”
The Santiago Times
FINALLY, I can only agree with Summers and his comment below is a perfect way to conclude this post. I wholeheartedly share his view. The time is now.
Penguin News
The message from outgoing Member of Legislative Assembly Mike Summers, in his final Speech to the Motion for Adjournment. Speaking of the Falklands in 30 years’ time he said, “it’s not just up to them [Argentina] it’s up to all of us to fix it if we can.”
NOTE:
This post is based on Jorge Emilio Núñez, “Territorial Disputes and State
Sovereignty: International Law and Politics,” London and New York: Routledge,
Taylor and Francis Group, 2020 (forthcoming)
Previous
published research monograph about territorial disputes and sovereignty by the
author, Jorge Emilio Núñez, “Sovereignty Conflicts and International Law and
Politics: A Distributive Justice Issue,” London and New York: Routledge, Taylor
and Francis Group, 2017.
NEXT
POST: The Falkland/Malvinas islands and the Egalitarian Shared Sovereignty
Thursday 17th October 2019
Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez
Twitter: @London1701
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