Argentina’s Six-Decade Claim to Sovereignty Over the Falkland Islands

Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands has entered a new chapter with a lawsuit against Israeli company Navitas and British company Rockhopper over an oil-extraction project in the archipelago’s waters. The legal action came this week, followed by Donald Trump’s statement that the United States might review its position on the dispute.

The United Nations formally recognized the dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1965 and urged both countries to negotiate. Their governments agreed the following year, and talks continued until 1982. Proposals ranged from joint administration to transferring sovereignty to Argentina while leasing the islands back to the United Kingdom.

Those negotiations collapsed after the war launched by Argentina’s military dictatorship in 1982. Leopoldo Galtieri, the de facto president, ordered the occupation of the islands. The conflict ended with the deaths of many young Argentine servicemen and another British victory, destroying the diplomatic process.

After democracy returned, Raúl Alfonsín’s government tried to reopen dialogue. A 1984 meeting in Bern ended abruptly when Britain refused to discuss sovereignty. Under Carlos Menem, the Madrid agreements restored relations and enabled contacts on fishing, hydrocarbons, communications and other matters under a sovereignty umbrella, leaving each side’s position unchanged. Later governments combined practical cooperation with continued claims, while Cristina Fernández’s administration renewed calls for negotiations at the United Nations in 2007 and 2008.

Mauricio Macri promoted another period of dialogue in 2016, producing agreements on fishing, hydrocarbons, flights and cooperation, but not sovereignty. Alberto Fernández later returned to a more explicit sovereignty position and conveyed Argentina’s commitment to resume talks to Boris Johnson in 2022. The latest lawsuit and Trump’s comments have brought the long-running dispute back into focus.