Revelations made by American defector Edward Snowden have delivered another lever to the politics of grief and victimisation spun by the Argentine government over the Falkland Islands, after he claimed they had been the focus of British spies.
Documents released by the former NSA employee said the Argentine government had been monitored by Britain between 2006 and 2011 over concerns they were planning an attempt to retake the Falkland Islands, which they unsuccessfully invaded in 1982. The observation of the nation came against a background of intense sabre-rattling over the Islands, as Argentina moved to distract its people from a deteriorating economic picture.
The documents, as reported by several Argentine newspapers and the Daily Mail suggested as well as the observation, the British government also spread seditious propaganda and infected Argentine computers with viruses.
The news comes amid a difficult week for Argentina, as British interests discovered significant oil and gas reserves in the water around the Islands almost exactly 33 years after the failed Argentine invasion. The Argentine government reacted almost immediately by stating they still considered the waters around what they call ‘Las Malvinas’ to be their territory, and would therefore prosecute anyone undertaking what they consider to be illegal works.
Breitbart London reported last month on the deteriorating security situation in the Falklands, with the British secretary of state for defence announcing that reinforcements would be posted to the Island. Speculation has been raging since last year that Argentina would be receiving long-range fighter-bombers from Russia in return for deliveries of beef and grain.
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