Falklands Redux?

From a recent story over at The Mirror, it looks like things are hotting up in the Falklands again.

Seems that British oil exploration firm, Desiree, has begun drilling off the Falklands of late (about 60 miles north) and the Argentine governmental types are getting all wrought up, claiming to take control of waters between Argentina's shoreline and the Falklands, in theory awarding themselves the authority to blockade the Falklands.

In ongoing developments, on February 25th the British destroyer HMS York intercepted (according to some British journalists, not the worlds least sensationalistic nor most reliable bunch...but then again, our own seem to be eagerly diving down that rat hole...) the Argentine corvette ARA Drummond in British waters near the Falklands. After a brief radio exchange, the Argentine vessel left British waters.

Thus far, the Argentinian position consists largely of bloviating whilst laying the diplomatic groundwork for naval and, perhaps ground-based, military adventurism.

But as we saw in the last Falklands war, in 1982, Argentinian politicians are far from uniquely resistant to utilizing military adventure and ginned up nationalism to distract their populace from domestic issues. Of course, last time around, it didn't work out terribly well for them.

Regrettably, Britain will have to go it alone if it comes to conflict given the current U.S. administrations disinterest in providing support to its' allies and the European Union rumored signaling of opposition to "supporting British aggression".

Britain, having for some years been busy about the business of emasculating its military, may have cause to regret those decisions. It is to be hoped, for the sake of the Falklands residents who appear quite enthused about remaining British subjects (as opposed to being assimilated by Argentina), that the formerly great Britain can triumph against the odds.