The Falklands / The Malvinas - (again?)

[Data-Lynx]

Jabba. Assuming that you are not the ex-Tomcat backseater version, I don't believe this has really got as far as sabre rattling. Once the media realise that neither side proposes to invade the other, this faff over a 'spudded' exploration well will sit uneasily in political and diplomatic circles. It will flare up in the next two weeks when Cristina K' has another attempt to get her hands on her country's banking reserves and again in about four weeks when Desire Petroleum announce the results from Liz 14 /19-A. With luck, military shipping and aircraft will go about their business while one old oil rig grinds away. However, difficulties over commercial shipping will continue and we will watch with some concern.

It is likely that Nestor K' tore up the 1995 agreement as part of the ploy to get Cristina elected later in 2007, more than a calculated bet on commercial levels of oil. Indeed, there was an alternative view that he had scapped the agreement because there was oil and he wanted some political freedom to wave the sovereignty flag to get a better deal.

For Plane Dumb, With the exception of Diego Garcia, the Permanent Joint Operations Bases are serviced using commercial aircraft for what is routine business. I might even suggest that the Air Seychelles provided 767-300 ER is probably the best aircraft available in terms of seating capacity and range to cover the HQBF requirements. As a relatively frequent flyer, I know which kind of seat I would rather use for 2x 7+ hours.

I will stick with the Chief Foreign Commentator for the Times, Bronwen Maddox, when she considered:

For once, the tone that Britain has adopted is right: firm, but low-key. The best outcome is clear too: that the drilling goes ahead, and given that the Falkland islanders do not want the infrastructure on their soil, that Argentina rapidly benefits from the industry that will spring up.