Some three decades ago, a group of idealistic young people on Canada’s west coast felt they had had enough of the rat race and decided to drop out and find somewhere remote and quiet to escape. After looking around, they settled on a group of sparsely populated islands far away from any large land mass and below the consciousness of the outside world. So they packed up their personal effects and moved to the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic.

Well, before they had even learnt the area around the bleak, windswept capital, Port Stanley, the world found them. A detachment of Argentine soldiers invaded and took over the British colony which, their masters claimed, were called The Malvinas and rightfully belonged to Argentina. The dropouts quickly decamped to Buenos Aires where their embassy had to help them return home to British Columbia.

Argentina was run by a military junta at the time. In a classic dictatorial effort to detract attention from the country’s political and economic ills, the generals and admirals launched the attack in an effort to harness the tremendous reservoir of nationalistic pride and fervour about the islands Argentines were inculcated with over generations. For their part, the islanders had to tolerate two months of unaccustomed turmoil, destruction and death before the British defeated the Argentines and reclaimed the islands.

Curiously, hardly any Argentine boulevardier from Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Rosario or even rugged Comodoro Rivadavia would ever want to live on the collection of grass-covered rocks populated mostly by sheep, penguins and other hardy sea birds, sea lions and squabbling seals.

The Falklands are made up of two main islands and 776 smaller ones with a combined area a little bigger than Jamaica and are located 460 kilometres from the Argentine mainland. They remain a British colony with responsibility to administer two other groups of islands in the South Atlantic. Those territories, the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, are craggy masses of rock lashed by some of the strongest winds and roughest seas in the world, with a harsh, frigid climate which makes them habitable only by huge colonies of marine mammals and birds.

Falklanders endure a climate only slightly less harsh, similar to the Shetland Islands north of Scotland. The islands are covered with rough grasses and shrubs and the only trees are those planted by settlers. The main activity is sheep-rearing and the high-quality wool produced is exported mainly to Britain. After the war in 1982, Britain increased the size of its military garrison which produces a sizeable contribution to the economy. Tourism from an increasing number of cruise ships stopping by also adds to the prosperity.

In 1983 Britain eliminated one fairly serious irritant for the islanders – it made them full British citizens.

Both Buenos Aires and London agreed in 1992 to re-establish diplomatic relations and re-opened their embassies.

Even though it lost the war ignominiously, Argentina has never given up its claim to the coveted Malvinas and has brought the matter up time and again at the United Nations and in direct contacts with Britain. The difference these days is that they are pursuing their aim by peaceful means. In fact, Argentina added its claim to the constitution by an amendment in 1994, stating that its efforts must be “respectful of the way of life of their inhabitants and according to the principles of international law”. The answer from both London and Port Stanley is always that there are no issues to resolve. The islanders are almost entirely British and stoutly maintain their loyalty to the United Kingdom.

The issue, which has been on the back burner for years, is bubbling up again, this time because of an element central to so many other conflicts. A British oil company began exploratory drilling north of the islands this week, hoping that strata 3500 metres below the surface contain enough petroleum to make this another North Sea. Desire Petroleum is following in the wake of other companies, including the oil giant, Shell, which have tried and given up in the past decade.

The company transported a huge platform, Ocean Guardian, all the way from Scotland, and will remain on base for a month. It is attracted by the promise of billions of barrels of crude oil and trillions of cubic metres of natural gas. Drilling at sea is an extremely difficult and dangerous enterprise and requires considerable logistical support. In this case there is an added difficulty – Argentina now insists that all ships travelling between the mainland and the Falklands require its permission. According to President Cristina Fernandez, “There continues to be systemic violation of international law that should be respected by all countries.”

Her country has been trying to draw the United Nations into the dispute, this week renewing efforts for the world body to intervene. Latin America is falling in line behind Argentina, with President Lula da Silva of Brazil telling a conference of Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Mexico that both Britain and the United Nations are at fault in this issue. Lula contends that Britain’s permanent seat on the UN Security Council gives it an undue influence over the way the international community deals with the Falklands. The 32 government heads at the conference have signed a document supporting Argentina’s position and condemning the exploration efforts.

Unlike the total support the US gave Britain during the war in 1982, Washington is trying to stay out of this one. Despite its close military ties to Britain, the Obama administration says the dispute with Argentina is strictly a bilateral issue and does not fall under international law.

So the stage is set for another chapter in the squabbling that’s been going on between Buenos Aires and London over the islands since the 19th century. It’s highly unlikely that we will witness a reprise of the shooting in the south Atlantic 28 years ago. At that time you could see almost anywhere you went in Argentina, stickers proclaiming “Las Malvinas fueron, son y seran Argentinas!” (“The Malvinas were, are and will continue to be Argentine”) while advertisements in print, on radio and on television called on all: “Vamos, Argentinos … Vamos a vencer!” (“Let’s go, Argentines … let’s go on to victory!’).

Right now Argentines are more concerned about economic uncertainty, inflation, high prices and job losses than about emotional attachments to a remote place they have never visited and are unlikely ever to see. The military is certainly not up to the task of taking on the well-oiled and practised British armed forces and don’t appear to have the stomach for that kind of fight anyway.

So Fernandez and her cohorts will have to satisfy themselves with diplomatic jockeying, proclamations at international forums amd harassment of supply vessels and anyone else who wants to conduct normal business with the 3000 people who happily live in a cold, soggy and foggy place among millions of woolly, feathery and blubbery creatures.

keeble.mack@sympatico.ca