Posted on 12/21/2011 8:11:04 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Nuclear submarine should be sent to Falklands to show British anger at boat ban decision
A nuclear submarine should be sent to the Falkland Islands to illustrate Britains anger at a decision by South American countries to ban boats bearing the island's flag, the former head of the Royal Navy said.
Lord West, the former the former First Sea Lord, said Britain should also undertake military exercises in response to the aggressive decision by the Mercosur bloc to close ports to ships flying the illegal flag.
The Foreign Office also condemned the decision by the bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, as tensions over the long-disputed territory erupted into the open on Wednesday.
Ministers warned Argentina that no one should be in any doubt about the British Governments commitment to support the area, which involves a vast swathe of potentially mineral-rich South Atlantic waters.
Ambassadors throughout the region were ordered to raise the issue as a matter of urgency as anger mounted over the unjust decision to intimidate the people of the Falkland Islands.
The South Atlantic islands are a powerful Argentine national symbol and the government often reiterates its sovereignty claim over the South Atlantic archipelago since the brief, but bloody war, in 1982.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I guess we will soon find out if the UK will fight for them.
Argie soreheads.
http://gawker.com/5705146/more-oil-found-off-falkland-islands
(Interesting comments.)
Maggie Thatcher, you’re needed once again!
I think Britain has more important uses for their submarine fleet.
Let Carlos pitch a fit.
"You are gay LoL!"
Flagging Empire....
I thought the Brits were so busy housing and feeding their Muslim immigrants that they didn’t have the money or time to worry about that old military stuff anymore.
You’re right. It is the job of the surface navy to show the flag. Sub captains never, ever want to be detected. Their idea of serving notice that they are in the area is when your sonar picks up an inbound torpedo. Other than that, you just never know.
Sent the sub! and send one to the Arabian sea as well. Just encase things heat up with Iran.
I hope they are ready to sink some Argie ships
The surface fleet of the RN is pretty stretched as it is. And to make a statement, you would practically need to send at least a couple of frigates/destroyers and supply vessels.
Maybe the demand to send a sub is to warn the Argentines of consequences of any aggression. A single Astute class sub has enough firepower to sink most of their surface navy and shoot off a few Tomahawks without them even knowing.
Isn’t Britain violating our Monroe Doctrine by holding the islands?
Wow, wouldn’t it be nice for GB to have an aircraft carrier?
Britain should also undertake military exercises
With what ?
The simple reply to the conumdrum is that the Monroe Doctrine was never intended to be whatever the opposite of "retroactive" is (prospective?).
There is no independent clear assessment of the status of the Falklands, indeed, of the very existence of "Argentina" as an independent stable state in 1823.
The territory that ultimately became Argentina (and a few other current countries) was in a constant state of civil war or isurrections the entire first half of the 19th Century.
What finally became Argentina didn't even exist when the Monroe Doctrine was established.
Regardless of the national entity, isn’t the presence of the European power the violation? Latin America was gaining its independence from Spain in the first half of the 19th century; I don’t see how that impacts the doctrine.
Britain was considered a silent partner in regards to the Monroe Doctrine. I doubt the US would have complained at all had Britain established a new colony in violation of the Monroe Doctrine. They certainly weren’t going to complain of a small group of islands 400 miles off the coast that had more or less been under British control for several hundred years.
The Monroe Doctrine was concerned with the establishment of new colonies after its passage.
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