Argentina is once again raising a ruckus over who owns the Falkland Islands, which they call the Malvinas. The Brits are conducting a sovereignty referendum this weekend among the islands' some 2500 residents, to see if they wish to remain a British Overseas Territory. See this Reuters article on Yahoo News for more.
The DrsC visited Stanley ten years ago and a more British place would be hard to find. I predict the islanders will vote "Yes" in overwhelming numbers. That is, if a large proportion of 2500 can be rightfully called "overwhelming."
The Obama administration has taken a more pro-Argentina stance on this issue than previous administrations. Foreign policy wonks believe the President automatically takes the side of third world nations in their conflicts with the former colonial powers.
Obama chooses to forget, I believe, that the U.S. is a current colonial power. I've visited several of our "colonies" - American Samoa, the U.S. Virgins, Puerto Rico - and lived for a year on Guam. It's an interesting experience.
Argentina stirs up the Malvinas pot whenever their domestic situation begins to reflect badly on the incumbent government, which is to say, with distressing frequency. A country with amazing natural resources, Argentina is badly served by its Peronista government, as we noted last Wednesday.
