BUENOS AIRES, April 28 (Reuters) - Argentine President Javier Milei, a libertarian who has long cited former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as one of his political role models, has recently sharpened his public tone on the Falkland Islands, a contrast from the moderate approach he has previously adopted as he's sought closer ties with the West.
Unlike his left-leaning predecessors, who routinely reaffirmed Argentina's sovereignty claim to the South Atlantic islands -- known in Argentina as Las Malvinas -- Milei, who has called for bilateral negotiations with Britain, had drawn criticism for not emphasizing the issue enough.
On Friday though, hours after Reuters exclusively reported that an internal Pentagon email suggested reviewing the U.S. position on the disputed archipelago as retaliation for Britain's stance on the Iran war, Milei shot off a fiery post on X, saying Las Malvinas "were, are and will always be Argentine."
Argentina has long claimed it inherited the islands from Spain after its independence in 1816 and that Britain took control in 1833 through an illegal colonial act. Britain, under Thatcher's government, and Argentina fought a brief war over the islands in 1982, in which 649 Argentine and 255 British service members died, after Argentina invaded in a failed bid to take them.
Four decades on, the islands still stir raw emotion in Argentina, where the memory of the war is painted onto Buenos Aires city walls as portraits of fallen heroes, and where some sports clubs bar clothing bearing the British flag. A national holiday marks the anniversary of the war.
The fresh tension between the U.S. and UK offers Milei a potential rallying cry as his approval ratings sink to their lowest levels, weighed down by rising monthly inflation and corruption scandals, making the cause one the president could seek to amplify, experts said.
"The fight for the Falklands is a national obsession in Argentina, and there is no upside to downplaying it," said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America program at the Stimson Center in Washington.“Though Milei is not known for pandering to his opponents, he might find the Falklands to be an irresistible opportunity for a rally-around-the-flag boost in his popularity.”
A spokesperson for Milei did not respond to a request for comment.
'PROGRESS LIKE NEVER BEFORE'
Milei has previously raised questions about his resolve on the islands.During his presidential campaign, he praised fellow libertarian Thatcher, who ordered the military operation to retake the Falklands, as one of the world's "greatest leaders," drawing condemnation from veterans who said he showed no respect for fallen comrades.
Milei criticized politicians who "beat their chests" over sovereignty without results in a 2024 interview with the BBC. He later drew backlash by saying Argentina wants islanders "to one day decide to vote for us," echoing Britain’s view that residents have the right to self-determination. In 2013, the islanders voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to stay under British rule.
Last week, though, he said in an interview with a streaming platform that Argentina was "making progress like never before" on the islands issue.
Guillermo Carmona, a former secretary for Argentina's foreign ministry’s Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic office under the previous center-left government, said the time was now for Argentina to “take advantage of the fissures that are being produced.”
The U.S. has traditionally avoided taking sides on the sovereignty of the islands, but recognizes they are administered by Britain.
The U.S. under President Donald Trump, who has referred to Milei as his "favorite president," could have participated as a third-party in any negotiations between Argentina and Britain, but, Gedan said, the leaked Pentagon letter makes that possibility less likely now as the U.S. has showed its hand in potentially favoring Argentina.
For now, despite the political buzz, the status quo is unlikely to change, analysts said.
"It’s difficult for me to think that the United States can force Britain to modify its position if it changes its own, since Britain is a strategic ally of the U.S.," said Argentine historian Federico Lorenz.
(Reporting by Leila Miller; Editing by Cassandra Garrison and Alistair Bell)
