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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1393 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026

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Can anyone steel-man the Argentinian position re: the Falklands (Malvinas)? I got into a few heated arguments with an Argentinian women during my course about them, and the Argentinian position doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Argentine never actually had sovereignty over the islands, nor does the local population want them there.

You're right that Argentina doesn't have a legitimate claim to the islands under standard liberal international relations theory, but there are other theories of international sovereignty. The Argentinian position is straightforward: Look at a map. They consider the Southwest Atlantic Ocean to be Argentinian. They also claim the Antarctic Peninsula.

The anticolonial aspect shouldn't be underestimated either. Under a strict interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine, the United States should have opposed British recapture of the islands.

Ah, the pretty borders theory of international relations, never to be underestimated.

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