Argentina wants the Falklands back.

The Argentinean government’s renewed enthusiasm to acquire the Falkland Islands will test Britain’s desire to control these strategic outcrops in the South Atlantic Ocean—and taint its reputation.

Britain’s sovereignty over the Falklands has been disputed since it claimed them in 1833. On March 19, 1982, the Falklands War erupted when the military government of Argentina invaded the islands. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher—acutely aware of the economic, strategic and geopolitical value of the islands—acted quickly to quell the uprising and secure British control. Seventy-four days after it began, with 236 British soldiers dead, the Falklands War ended with Argentina’s surrender on June 14, 1982.

Twenty-four years have passed, and the momentum is once again building in Argentina to wrest control of the Falklands. As relations between London and Buenos Aires sour, one wonders if Britain’s reaction today will be the same as it was 24 years ago.

Or—is Britain about to relinquish the Falklands?

Times Online reported last week that “Argentina has given a warning of ‘a drastic change’ in its quest for sovereignty over the Falklands” (June 27). The growing fervor among Argentines to take control of the Falklands stretches across the full spectrum of society. Facing re-election next year, Argentinian President Nestor Kirchner leads the pack and is exploiting the issue to rouse his country’s nationalistic spirit and garner more votes.

So personal to President Kirchner is the issue that he has gone so far as to enlist the support of other left-leaning leaders in South America such as Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. Kirchner’s quest for sovereignty over the Falklands, according to Buenos Aires-based political analyst Rosendo Fraga, has evolved from being an issue of mere sovereignty for Argentina to one that is “provid[ing] a rallying point to gather left-leaning Latin American governments into an anti-colonial bloc.”

Kirchner’s more hardline approach on the Falklands will inevitably strain his government’s relations with Britain. Concurrent with this trend, Kirchner will likely continue to align with other left-wing governments in South and Latin America as they seek to marginalize America, and even British influence, in the region. In today’s globalized world, the Falklands are not as strategically important as they once were. With anti-Western sentiment spreading throughout Latin and South America, Kirchner’s quest for the Falklands is just as much about curbing British and American influence in the region as it is about usurping control of the Falklands.

Regaining the Falklands will do little to enhance the Argentinean military. The real impact of such a course of action will be felt primarily by Britain. Losing the Falklands would boost Argentina’s regional and international image, but more importantly, it will further deflate Britain’s tattered global image. It is Britain’s reputation that is at stake here.

Five years ago, the Trumpet said that the days of Britain owning the Falklands are numbered. We stand by this prediction.