The Falklands: Dangerous Terrain
Thirty years after the Falklands War the bitter debate over the South Atlantic islands remains clouded in historical ignorance, argues Klaus Dodds
The 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict, which falls in April 2012, has prompted a number of news stories. In February Prince William arrived to serve as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot for the RAF. Sean Penn, Hollywood actor and public activist, created something of a stir with his caustic comments about ‘archaic colonialism’ and general denunciation of the UK’s Coalition government for insisting that the Falkland Islands remain a British Overseas Territory. His intervention, while on a visit to Argentina that included an audience with the Argentinian president, Christina Kirchner, provoked a heated reaction in the UK.