Prominent Argentine figures have warned that a key reason for the Falklands War is still present in the country today. A declaration signed by former government ministers, human rights figures, historians, constitutional scholars and artists states that their compatriots suffer a penalty if they do not commit to what they call the "Malvinas cause" — the South American state's claim of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
Condition for invasion remains
A condition for the Argentine invasion of the British archipelago in 1982 was this being ingrained in society, and it remains so, the document added. It stated: "In today's Argentina, the Malvinas cause, the unanimism of the purported national cause, encompasses everything, admits no relevant dissent in any dimension, including the conviction that no Argentine can feel detached from it, under penalty of being considered a bad Argentine [...] The national cause is, in short, an abuse of state, political, social, and cultural authority."
Signatories added that they "do not accept being absorbed by the collective sacralisation of the cause, which abuses us from the state and from society, every time its promoters pretend to speak on behalf of all Argentines".
War and its legacy
"In 1982, the dictatorship's military led us into war," the document stated. "But the condition for that catastrophic decision was that the cause was already firmly installed in society long before. So much so that the occupation of the islands had impressive popular backing that was maintained for weeks as overwhelming triumphalism.
"The war strengthened the cause. Today it has extended to everyday life in the neighborhoods, in sports, in specialised studies, in political discourse, and even in disturbing outbreaks of militarism."
The document added: "The omnipresence of the cause perhaps explains why the national government is acting today on the Malvinas issue with flagrant opportunism."
President's threat over oil project
It comes after the country's president, Javier Milei, called the Sea Lion oil project in the North Falkland Basin an "unlawful act". He gave the UK a two-week deadline to stop the scheme or face arbitration and a binding decision at the international tribunal for the law of the sea.
The project was put forward by London-based Rockhopper Exploration and Israel-based Navitas Petroleum (NPDP) with a reported projected cost of £1.55billion. The field was discovered in 2010, and phases one and two of the operation have been approved by the Falkland Islands Government, which has granted exploitation licenses valid for 35 years.
A spokesman for NPDP told the Express in September: "We are working in full compliance with all applicable law and are in very close contact with the government in the FI. We expect the FCDO to respond appropriately to Argentina's illegitimate threats against both Falklands / UK businesses and individuals as we continue to develop the project and ensure that it remains on track."
