The Falklands, the Iranians, and Britain’s provocative weakness

In yesterday’s podcast my guest Monica Showalter discussed the renewed claim Argentina’s making over the Falklands Islands.

As I posted earlier, these renewed claim can not be seen as an isolated incident. Last week, after the Iranians took the 15 hostages two weeks ago, Argentina unilaterally scrapped an oil and gas exploration treaty with the UK. All indicators point to Argentina taking advantage of Britain’s weakness.

Monica stressed the point that,

This Argentina-Iran axis is a completely odd coincidence… Iran has injured Argentina, too.

While it’s arguably an odd coincidence, it’s not an illogical one. The government in Argentina continues to have huge problems, and rehashing this old Brits-against-us enmity on an anniversary can serve a purpose.

Twenty-five years ago the old conflict was a double-edge sword:

Monica’s editorial in today’s Investor’s Business Daily explains what happened after the Argentineans invaded the Falklands:

Led by the dauntless Lady Thatcher, the Falklands victory kept Britain and her territories safe from other military predators in subsequent decades. The United Nations Charter, which Argentina and Britain both signed, guaranteed that every nation, regardless of ancient claims, was entitled to its current territorial sovereignty, and Britain’s victory underlined that.

The junta’s attack on the only territory in the region characterized by rule of law — Britain’s — was no accident. Its successful defense also heralded the first flowering of democracy in South America after decades of fascist military rule.

Thatcher’s victory sent shock waves that toppled Argentina’s notorious Dirty War generals. Their brutal air force had already hurled 30,000 Argentine dissidents out of airplanes over the South Atlantic. Only after its loss in the Falklands did Argentina become a democracy and the venal nationalist rationale of the junta become clear.

The repercussions of one action resonated much more profoundly than the act of the defeated invasion itself, both for the countries involved, and for South America.

That was then.

This is now, and the stakes are much higher:

Predators like Iran’s mullahs and their ally in the region, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, are already stirring up trouble.

Chavez is urging Argentina to press anew its Falklands claims. He may also be encouraging another invasion. British MPs are warning that the Argentine government has “adopted a more aggressive stance” than diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Chavez is threatening one of Britain’s former colonies, Guyana, where Venezuela has a 19th-century claim on half the territory.

On Monday he raised the stakes by threatening to cut off oil to the U.S. if it acts against Iran for its U.K. hostage-taking.

Meanwhile, British embassies came under siege a day apart. In Tehran, the embassy was engulfed on Sunday by violent “student” protests. And on Monday in Caracas, the embassy was cleared out after an Argentine-accented man called in a bomb threat on the Falklands anniversary.

If Argentina demands that Britain hand back the Falklands at the same time Venezuela moves on Guyana, Britain will face a severe test. But it will have no one to blame but itself.

Read the whole article.

After you do, ponder how Hezbollah, which is ideologically and politically close to Iran, has established itself in Latin America.

Whether the Argentineans are thinking about Hezbollah remains to be seen, but undoubtedly Hezbollah will do its outmost to take advantage of the situation. And don’t think America won’t be affected.