There have been disputes over the Falkland Islands once again. The United Kingdom recently invited Argentine, Paraguayan and Uruguayan students to visit the islands, as tourists. Senator Pablo Daniel Blanco, the senator of Tierra del Fuego in southernmost Argentina, was outraged on Twitter, claiming that “No Argentine is a tourist in their homeland”. The Argentine foreign minister remained silent.
The Chagos problem
It’s coming up to a year since Keir Starmer agreed to hand the Chagos islands over to Mauritius. Last October, the Chagossians finally won their campaign to receive their islands back from UK sovereignty. At the time, Starmer caused mass controversy amongst Argentines when he stated that this would not be the case for the Falkland Islands nor Gibraltar, as they will remain British. His comments still resonate, and international relations are as important as ever.
Starmer’s comments on the return of the Chagos islands set a precedent that sovereignty could be up for change. President Javier Milei expressed this view, saying that this ‘surrender’ showed that Buenos Aires had an opportunity to reclaim sovereignty over the Falklands.
Whose islands?
The population of the Falklands (currently just under 3,500) is English-speaking, and primarily of English descent. Their opinion was tested in the 2013 referendum, when almost unanimously the population voted to remain part of the UK. We all remember the photo of the Falklands veteran at the polls kitted out in head-to-toe in UK flag merchandise.
Since the first sightings of the islands in the 17th century, British, Spanish, French and Argentinian inhabitants have come and gone, and each country has claimed the islands. The matter was ‘settled’ by the appointment in 1841 of a British civilian governor.
Yet it’s no secret that Argentina has always felt that, being so near to the Islas Malvinas, it should have ownership. These South Atlantic islands are just 500km away from Argentina, and yet are 13,000km away from the United Kingdom. Argentina’s struggle to create its own national identity has also been a contributing factor. It only became an official nation in 1816 after three centuries of Spanish rule, and huge waves of immigration in the 19th century mean that the vast majority of Argentines are ethnically Spanish or Italian. Argentina itself has also grappled with heavy British influences, and historians have even referred to the nation as part of Britain’s ‘informal empire’. It is therefore not entirely surprising that different leaders of Argentina, not just Galtieri who initiated the war, have talked about reclaiming the Malvinas as a way of bringing the nation together.
The Falklands loom large in Argentina
I have just returned from spending extended time in Argentina. To my surprise, I quickly realised that the Falklands are much more culturally present in Argentinian everyday life than they are in Britain – it was impossible to ignore them.
They come up in conversation, and it’s impossible to go far in Argentina without seeing visual representation. The reminder might be small, but it is constant. Since 2022, it’s been a legal requirement for every bus in the country to have a sticker on it expressing “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” (“The Malvinas are Argentine”), with a flag of the Malvinas in the background. In rural areas, it is common to see signs showing the distance to the Malvinas; a subtle nod to the fact that Argentina is about 12,500km closer to the islands than Britain is.
Delicate sensitivities
On 2 April, the Día del Veterano y de los Caídos en la Guerra de Malvinas (Day of the Veteran and those fallen in the Falklands War), an annual public holiday, several commemorative events take place across the country. On the previous day I met a friend’s Argentine aunt who half-jokingly, half-seriously remarked: ‘You’re not English tomorrow. Just remember that.’
The most striking display of Malvinas pride I have seen was at a stall at the Feria de Mataderos, a Sunday market in the province of Buenos Aires. The stall is run by veterans of the Guerra de las Malvinas and is adorned with Falklands-related crafts, as the veterans stand in their military uniform with a pro-Argentine Falklands flag next to them. It suddenly felt wildly inappropriate to speak in English.
Feelings run deep
The Malvinas are also referenced in well-known Argentine songs, e.g. one of Argentina’s anthems, “Muchachos, ahora nos volvimos a ilusionar”, which includes: “En Argentina nací, tierra de Diego y Lionel, de los pibes de Malvinas que jamás olvidaré” (“I was born in Argentina, the land of Diego and Lionel and of those Malvinas boys whom I will never forget”). That is not to say that every Argentine is vehemently campaigning for the Falklands to be returned to their country. But the islands certainly mean a lot to them, and the Argentine education system makes sure of this. Mercedes de las Carreras, a student at the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires, commented: “Todos los Argentinos saben de las Malvinas” (“all Argentines know about the Falklands”), whereas many British adolescents and young adults are unaware that the islands even exist.
How it looks from Britain
We cannot, however, dismiss the British veterans who fought so bravely in the Falklands War. They may be few, but their passion is undimmed: just a few weeks ago, a new mural to commemorate Falklands veteran Corporal Peter Robinson was unveiled at the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone.
Keir Starmer tried to build upon the outcome of the 2017 referendum when he claimed that Brits can trust him to hold on tight to the sovereignty of the Falklands. It is personal for him, as he confidently told Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey in PMQs: ‘My uncle nearly lost his life when his ship was torpedoed defending the Falklands.’ Critics, however, have pointed out that only one ship was torpedoed during the war, the Argentine ARA General Belgrano. As fullfact.org reported, Number 10 clarified the following day that Starmer’s uncle was serving on a different ship, which was bombed, not torpedoed.
His error in PMQs, and the inconsistency between the policy towards the Chagos Islands and other overseas territories seeking independence, together undermine confidence in the Prime Minister. British citizens don’t fully trust him, as polls have been showing, and the Argentines still want their islands back.
Attempts at rapprochement
As Latin America develops, both economically and socially, our diplomatic relations with the continent’s nations are as important as ever. There is no denying that Labour has in fact made strides. Notably, last year, the government set up a reciprocal mobility scheme between British and Uruguayan students, and in January, the UK and Chile strengthened bilateral ties in trade.
They have also been active with the Falklands. At the end of September 2024, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Argentine foreign affairs minister Diana Mondino met at the United Nations and agreed to resume weekly flights from São Paolo, which will stop once a month in Cordoba, Argentina. However, the Argentine vice-president reacted explosively, describing the scheme as merely “crumbs”. Not long after, the Chagos debacle happened.
Diplomatic relationships need care
There are clearly faults on both sides – the Falklands are controversial and divide opinions. But respect is a far more effective diplomatic tool than anger.
A more open approach to dialogue on the part of both Starmer’s and Milei’s governments would be more productive. In particular, the UK needs to display an appreciation of the cultural significance of the Malvinas to South America, and Argentina needs not only to tread carefully on the sensitivities of British veterans, but also to have respect for the expressed wish for self-determination of the Falkland islanders themselves. In the longer term, maybe the model followed for the handover of Hong Kong, or the Virgin Islands agreement, might offer a solution.
Both Starmer and Milei could after all do with an opportunity to improve their image within their own country.
