Obama’s Falklands Hypocrisy

Much has been said and written these past few weeks on the Falkland Islands – and a lot of it has made me want to pull my hair out.

The lack of legitimacy to Argentina’s claim to the island has been much discussed.  As has the deployment of Prince William to carry out his routine duties as a search and rescue pilot.  As has the decision to relieve one naval vessel by replacing it with another.  We have heard also that Argentina should be allowed to take control of the islands against the wishes of their inhabitants – all in the name of anti-colonialism, of course.

We could talk all day of the irony of Argentina accusing us of militarising the Falklands when it was them that illegally invaded them by force.  We could talk all day about how Sean Penn needs a history lesson.  Indeed, we could talk all day about George Galloway, whose support for Argentina on this week’s 10 O’Clock Show seemed to have more to do with his apparent carnal desire for President Kirchner than it did any principled stance.  Not to mention his claim that everyone descended from early settlers should be removed from the islands would also mean, if his logic were to be followed, that everyone of Roman, Angle, Saxon, Viking, Norman and Commonwealth descent should be removed from these islands of the United Kingdom.

But one thing that hasn’t been discussed is Barack Obama’s view – which backs Argentina’s demands for negotiations.

I admit it.  I fell for the whole Barack Obama thing.  He wrote and delivered stunning speeches.  He built a campaign from scratch that took him from rank outsider to leader of a superpower. Being of mixed race, he broke down barriers and inspired people beyond his homeland.  He embodied, for a while, politics at its best.

America sees itself as the great exporter of democracy – it even calls its President the ‘Leader Of The Free World’.  But evidently, that belief in freedom is only limited to times when it exists in America’s own interests – or in this case, when it exists in Obama’s personal interests.

Well over 50 million people living in America come from Hispanic or Latin American backgrounds.  Polls show that whilst the majority remain Democrat voters, his support amongst this group is falling – and he needs them back to win the election.  I would suggest, therefore, that his support for ‘negotiations’ is purely for selfish purposes.

But of course, it is not selfishness but self-determination that matters most.  Set out in the UN Charter, the global community believes it matters too.  Self-determination is not a luxury, nor is it a bargaining chip to be negotiated away.  It is, moreover, the fundamental foundation stone on which democracy is built.  If you believe that self-determination is something that can be negotiated, then you cannot claim to be a believer in democracy.  And most certainly, you can’t have the cheek to call yourself a Democrat.

Indeed, if American Samoa (which holds the same status with the USA as the Falklands does to the UK) was persistently claimed by a foreign country with a history of military invasions, do we really think Barack Obama would negotiate against the will of its people?  Of course he wouldn’t.  And that makes him a hypocrite too.

After Argentina’s invasion in 1982, Ronald Reagan gave quiet support for the British military effort, providing fuel and other supplies to support the Royal Navy and RAF in particular.  Reagan may have had a different set of beliefs to me, but at least he had a spine.  When asked, he was prepared to stand by America’s oldest ally and, more importantly, help defend 3000 people from an attack on freedom and democracy itself.  The debate may now be a diplomatic, not a military one, and Obama’s influence may be limited anyway, but in betraying his own beliefs he has also betrayed the UK, the Falkland Islanders and the very principles on which America was founded.

As Labour supporters, we are of course supposed to support centre-left politicians around the world.  But anyone who betrays the basic values of democracy, self determination and freedom does not deserve support.  Britain does not bow down to bullies, it does not negotiate on the fundamental rights of its people and it will not let the Falkland Islanders down.  If President Obama does not understand why, then he does not deserve his place as self-proclaimed ‘Leader of the Free World’.