BUENOS AIRES

FOLLOWING THE WHITE House’s shock backing of the Argentinian soccer team’s recent claim on the Falkland Islands, a British strategic commentator has suggested that Donald Trump might be thinking about invading the islands, then handing them over to Argentina in exchange for base rights and resource concessions.

“This is the kind of deal the American President likes to do,” says Sebastian Fotherington-Blowback, former SAS officer and international soldier of fortune who now runs a think tank devoted solely to the strategic mindset of Donald J Trump. “It’s an opportunity for a clean, probably bloodless, operation. The Royal Navy couldn’t get past Brittany right now in any strength; the Royal Air Force has no more strategic bombers, and British ground forces are so depleted that the country can hardly put a combat brigade into the field for any length of time. The White House’s First Amendment defence of that Argentinian banner claiming what they call Las Malvinas for Argentina at the World Cup semi-final against England, was yet another goal scored against England, I’m afraid. Last time the Argentinians invaded the islands, it was American assistance that gave Britain an edge. If the yanks are switching sides, all they have to do is put a carrier group off Port Stanley, and they could have the islands secured in a day. Then Trump does a deal with President Melei, giving Argentina sovereignty but with the Americans setting up a permanent naval presence there, and American business getting useful rights to exploit the resources around the islands. Trump may be nervous, too, that a British Labour Government might just hand the Falklands back to Argentina anyway, like that Chagos business he was so annoyed at. He would like to get something from such a transfer. And as things are all stalled in the Middle East and he’s taken his eye off Greenland, this could be his next move. British forces actually on the islands are small: four Typhoon fighters, a company of infantry, odds and sods, and a naval patrol vessel. That’s deterrent material. Wouldn’t last five minutes against a determined US invasion. Worms are turning everywhere. London needs to wake up and smell the coffee.”