The Falkland Islands, South Georgia’s Proposed Marine Sanctuary, EU’s cut off of Aid

I write this article with mixed feelings, and want to offer my apologies to any of my readers that might be offended by historical facts. With the Argentinean economy on the brink of disaster after years of disingenuous economic figures, i.e. inflation, unemployment, levels of poverty, the administration of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, on the verge of being sworn in for a second disastrous term, is taking her clue from none other than General Leopoldo Galtieri† to go on an out of control binge of saber rattling to divert attention from her failing economic policies.Not a day has passed in the last few weeks, where the Argentinean government has not issued one or another of the baseless statements, either in the United Nations by the misinformed (failed history) former Ambassador to the UN Jorge Argüello or from various Ministerial officials. Delusional is the kindest word that comes to my mind.
I am a great history buff myself, and have investigated the various claims over who should be the colonial power to occupy and rule these remote islands, The Falklands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. Historically speaking, the first humans to spend any time on the islands in question, where the crew members of one of the English explorer John Davis’ ship, the Desire, which after a severe storm while attempting to reach the straights of Magellan got battered so badly, that they had to seek shelter among isles which had heretofore not been discovered or inhabited. That was during the Austral winter of 1592. In 1594, a second landing of British forces occurred, when Richard Hawkins named the group “Hawkins Maidenland.”By the year 1600, Sebald de Weert, a Dutch explorer found the Islands based on earlier descriptions and named them the Sebald Islands, a name which was carried on Dutch navigation charts well into the 19th century. In 1690, the English seafarer John Strong sailed between the two main Islands and named the passage the Falkland Channel, after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falklands, who had financed the expedition out of his own funds. It was through his association, that the name “Falkland Islands” finally was established.In 1764, France established a colony at Port St. Louis deep in the Berkley Sound, and it is here that for the first time the name today referred to as Malvinas came to be. The early French settlers named the Islands خles Malouines after the Breton Port of St Malo. The year after the French settled on the extreme eastern portion of the islands, British Captain John Byron, being unaware of the presence of the French claimed this and the other islands in the archipelago to be British Crown Territory, based on the fact of prior discovery. The following year, Captain John MacBride established a settlement at Port Egmont, events which almost brought Britain and Spain to war. The French, decided to leave on their own, without making any claim over the Islands. The Spanish took control in 1767, but the British stayed on the Western Part of the Archipelago until they were forced by the American War for Independence to muster up all they had, to keep that colony from breaking away. (Failed as we all know) On May 20 1776 the British forces left Port Egmont, but leaving behind a plaque asserting perpetual British Sovereignty over the Islands. The Spanish crown now administered the Islands from Buenos Aires until 1811, at which point they too had to tend to fires at the home front, in this instance, the Bonapartist threat as well as the simmering desire of their colonies in New Spain wanting independence. The Spanish left a plaque behind as well.The next few years saw the Islands becoming a shelter for whalers and sealers whose ships and crews had been brutalized by the harsh waters of the South Atlantic. In 1820, an American privateer, Colonel Davit Jewett, a real Pirate, arrived in the Islands after he captured the Portuguese ship Carlota, which he subsequently lost with much loss of life, and on November 6, 1820, he raised the flag of the United Provinces of River Plate, and claimed possession of the Islands by sending the following letter to the British Explorer James Wendell:            Sir, I have the honor of informing you that I have arrived in this port with a commission from the Supreme Government of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata to take possession of these islands on behalf of the country to which they belong by Natural Law. While carrying out this mission I want to do so with all the courtesy and respect all friendly nations; one of the objectives of my mission is to prevent the destruction of resources necessary for all ships passing by and forced to cast anchor here, as well as to help them to obtain the necessary supplies, with minimum expenses and inconvenience. Since your presence here is not in competition with these purposes and in the belief that a personal meeting will be fruitful for both of us, I invite you to come aboard, where you'll be welcomed to stay as long as you wish; I would also greatly appreciate your extending this invitation to any other British subject found in the vicinity; I am, respectfully yours. Jewett, Colonel of the Navy of the United Provinces of South America and commander of the frigate Heroina.Of course, as it is well known now, he was never charged by the Government of the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata to undertake such a mission. While in the area, Jewett seized an American Vessel, the Rampart, committing another act of piracy. Jewett sent a letter to Buenos Aires dated February 1, 1821, giving a full report about his stay in the Islands, but he neglected to mention that he had claimed the territory for them. The first news about the Pirates claim made it into the news in a New England whaling town and was much later reprinted in the Times of London, from where it finally made it to the Buenos Aires Argos, where it was published as a foreign source news story, with the Argentinean government being completely unaware of that situation, since the American Privateer never reported that aspect of his undertakings.So it is very clear that the British have exercised first sovereignty over these islands and never once ceded control to the Argentineans. The total delusion of the Argentine administration that these Islands are historically theirs is absolutely ludicrous. They are pushing the United Nations to bring it to a plebiscite over whether the Falklanders want to become Argentinean, stay part of the British overseas Territories or become independent. In other words, offering them a deck chair on the Titanic. If and when that will ever come to a vote, Argentina will lose all claims to the territory and may have to resort to invading it again.Meanwhile, the UK has announced plans to create a Marine Protection Zone on 1 million sq km around the South Georgia Islands and the South Sandwich Islands. The announcement will be made in the coming days, but already Ruperto Godoy, a member of the Argentinean lower House’s foreign relations committee has popped up in public to state that “South Georgia Island is an integral part of our national territory. The UK must obey international law, and return them to Argentina peacefully.” I am really curious if he could come up with any substantiation of an existing law or treaty to back up his hysterical claims. Actually I can answer that myself: He cannot. There are no treaties, there are no laws to support his propaganda.To which I can only add, never has been, never will be. Argentina’s claims on these islands are as fictitious as their published inflation rates. The government will do anything to distract the masses from the economic chaos looming for the southern cone nation. Stay tuned for coming events after La Cristina’s inauguration on December 10.The European Union, itself facing financial uncertainty has decided to do the smart thing, something that the U.S. could learn from. They have decided to eliminate foreign aid to 19 emerging economies, including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. Fortunately this will not really affect the poor any more than they are already being affected by their own governments corruption, as almost all of the direct aid which has been supplied rests comfortably in safe haven bank accounts of the leaders of their nations, with the exception of Uruguay.




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