Posted on 03/27/2015 6:52:00 AM PDT by Thistooshallpass9
Russia is preparing to lease 12 long-range, supersonic bomber jets to Argentina, a move that some in Britain fear is designed to ready Argentina to take the Falkland Islands.
Argentina has long argued that the Falklands—which it calls the Malvinas—are Argentine territory and should be controlled by Buenos Aires instead of London. The dispute escalated into war in 1982 when Argentina invaded the islands, attempting to establish sovereignty over them. The bloody 74-day conflict ended with British forces overwhelming the Argentinians and reestablishing British control of the islands.
But British defense cuts in recent years leave the Falklands more vulnerable to attack, particularly if Russia beefs up Argentina’s armaments. “It is a very live threat,” British Defense Minister Michael Fallon said March 23 concerning Moscow’s plan to equip Argentina with attack planes. “We have to respond to it.”
Former defense minister Sir Gerald Howarth said of Russia’s plan: “It is very serious indeed. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has many problems at home and yet he is ramping up tension in the Falklands.”
Russian politicians and pro-Kremlin newspapers have long taken Argentina’s side in the Falklands dispute, routinely criticizing Britain’s “colonial occupation” of the islands. Russians sometimes refer to the Falklands as the “Crimea of the Atlantic,” a comparison the Argentine government welcomes.
“The Malvinas have always belonged to Argentina, the same way that Crimea also belonged to the Soviet Union until it was given to Ukraine,” Argentine President Cristina de Kirchner said last year after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Kirchner was among the most vocal supporters of Russia’s grab of Crimea, and her support is now winning her tit-for-tat backing from Moscow regarding Argentina’s claim on the Falklands.
On March 22, Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian Duma’s committee of international affairs, tweeted:
Putin himself has made his support for Argentina’s claims clear here and here.
In a sign that the United Kingdom takes the Russo-Argentine cooperation seriously, Fallon said Britain will invest $265 million to bolster Falklands’ defenses over the next 10 years. However, a Ministry of Defense spokesman told the Express that Argentina will likely receive the bombers well before Britain does much to beef up its forces, leaving a “real window of vulnerability.”
At this point, Argentina can send a half dozen hoods from the barrio and England wouldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.
Western Civilization is just about dead.
And what are those Russian supersonic long range bombers?
That's for sure. Cameron, that pantywaist Obama lick-spittle, is sure not Thatcher.
Thatcher is probably rolling around in her grave about now.
I’m wondering if this is some kind of payback for our role in Ukraine’s coup. I think that ticked Putin off.
Yes, that’s true. Britain’s pride in its power is broken. It’s a sad situation.
Tu-4 Bisons.
Thatcher is probably rolling around in her grave about now...
as well as President Ronald Reagan.
Bisons are not supersonic.
But it appears it is a false report anyway. (Posted 1 hour ago.):
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-denies-talks-argentina-leasing-jets-102502136.html
“Russian politicians and pro-Kremlin newspapers have long taken Argentina’s side in the Falklands dispute, routinely criticizing Britain’s “colonial occupation” of the islands. “
you’ve got to be kidding me?
From a country with all that land, but obsessed with breaking off small parts of its neighbors?
Its only a problem because Britain considers its response must be restrained and that an invasion of the Falklands would not constitute activation of the NATO charter.
The Falklands were effectively uninhabited before the British set up camp there, so the notion of colonialism is rubbish.
The inhabitants are British, consider themselves British, and have zero desire to be Argentinian.
Britain actually invites war by leaving a small conventional force there. The only threat to the islands is Argentina. Either build up the conventional arms, which is financially draining, or pull them out totally with a simple caveat; tell Argentina that the Falklands are once and forever British and that an attack on the Falklands will result in the immediate nuclear annihilation of Argentinian military targets up to and including their ultimate headquarters in Buenos Aires.
An alternative strategy would be to reinforce the NATO charter making it perfectly clear that it covers all sovereign territories; e.g. Greenland, Falklands, Puerto Rico, the BVI, Spanish Morocco, etc.
A 19th century strategy would be an alliance with Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, and/or Uruguay, which promises huge swaths of Argentina to them in return for military support in the advent of another Falklands war.
Over 10 years? They might as well hand it over before it's taken from them.
How do you think Russia got so big? It's Russia's destiny to rule the world. There are two kinds of territories in the world - current Russian provinces and future Russian provinces.
Back in December, it was announced the SU-24 would be leased to Argentina. Numerous publications stated this. However, to date, no transfers have taken place. Reported transfers, that is.
The UK has 1200 troops, a flight of Eurofighter Typhoons, and one of its most advanced destroyers, HMS Dragon, stationed in the Falklands. There is a pretty good chance they could stop a dozen SU-24s.
An English expedition first discovered the islands in 1690 and named them after the Viscount of Falkland, and then in 1765 another British captain made the name official and claimed them for the King.
Argentina (which was a Spanish settlement) was not even called Argentina until the 1800's, and wasn't even an independent nation until 1861.
Tu-4s were codenamed “Bull”, not Bison.
Rumor was that they got that name when someone said “Look, the Soviets have B-29s” and the immediate reply was “Bulls**t!”
Would not surprise me....
Putin would love a distraction right now
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