The Falkland Islands debate

[MrBubbles]

Naninho said:



1776: Spain ruled the islands as part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.
1790: Britain conceded Spanish sovereignty over all Spain's traditional territories in the Americas.
1816: The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, later called Argentina, claimed independence from Spain.

[That sovereignty of the islands was transferred to Argentina from Spain upon independence, a principle known as uti possidetis juris.]

1825: The United Kingdom recognised Argentina's independence from Spain.
1833: A military operation from the UK took control of the islands after the american sloop USS Lexington destroyed the argentine military defenses of the settlement of Puerto Soledad. Then, despite being in peaceful relations with the Confederation of Argentina, the British expelled the argentinian garrison of 26 soldiers.
Since then, the islands have been under British rule, except during the war.

 

not being on the islands you cant actually rule there.   you cant claim an island by sight alone(or the imaginings either), which is why the british couldnt claim it when they first discovered the islands. 

 

britain never gave up its claim on the island, the nootka sound convention doesnt apply to the island, and any discussion over the islands over breach would have to take place between them and spain, not argentina.

 

the argentinian claims of independence were unilateral and there was no authority on the island by either spain or the new argentinian government thus it was outside its borders and not claimable under what you are claiming.   spain would have had to cease their claims on the territory to inherit it, which only happened in...'59? and no mention of the islands is made in their agreements at that time.  it was also some years after the british were already in full control of the island and that situation had already been settled between them. 

 

a settlement was established that also had british permission to be there and the head of the settlement asked for british assistance in protecting the islands which they showed up to do.