The Americas | Game of southern cone

Inside the secret military dialogue between Britain and Argentina

A deal would counter China and please America. It requires deft diplomacy on the Falklands

Illustration of a British lion with a face made of the Argentinian sun, facing away from China and towards a F-16 fighter jet
Illustration: Ben Jones
|MONTEVIDEO|7 min read

America’s top brass worries about the South Atlantic. It is a jumping-off point for Antarctica, where Russia and China boast 15 bases between them, scrambling to lock down resources. It is linked to the Pacific by the Strait of Magellan, the only safe maritime route between the two oceans other than the drought-hit Panama Canal. Traffic through the Strait is surging, as is illegal Chinese fishing on either side. China is pushing infrastructure projects across the region. America’s top generals have visited Argentina’s deep south three times in the last two years.

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