Barack Obama shows contempt for Britain again
President Obama has taken a little flack lately for referring to the Falkland Islands as the Maldives.
Yes—the Maldives—as opposed to the Malvinas, as the Argentines refer to them. The Maldives are actually a group of 26 small islands located off the southwest coast of India.
Speaking at the Summit of the Americas, President Obama reiterated his stance of neutrality over the Falklands: “And in terms of the Maldives or the Falklands, whatever your preferred term, our position on this is that we are going to remain neutral. … [T]his is not something that we typically intervene in.”
The president’s remarks are further evidence of the growing rift between the Obama administration and Great Britain.
Analysts have to wonder who wrote the president’s speech, and why the president took so little time to become informed about one of the most important issues for its supposed ally in Europe. President Obama has not hidden his contempt for Britain’s colonial past. Perhaps this was his way of indicating that the Falklands issue was not important to America and that if Argentina did decide to invade again, that he would not intervene.
At the very least, the president’s speech gave legitimacy to Argentina’s outlandish claim over the islands.
Gaffe or not, and intended or not, the president attempting to refer to the Falklands as the Malvinas was a slap in the face to Britain.
Britain’s Falklands test is coming. Here is why Britain is sure to lose.