Taking Sides Against An Ally

On Thursday, the Heritage Foundation posted an article about the Falkland Islands.  These are the islands off the coast of Argentina that Argentina invaded in 1982, capturing more than 1,800 British civilians.  The British fought back, losing 257 British soldiers in the process.  Now Argentina is again attempting to regain control of the Islands, with the backing of the United States, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua.  That is not really the company I like to see the United States keeping.

The article at the Heritage Foundation reports:

"On June 7, the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted a declaration[1] calling for Argentina and Great Britain to enter into negotiations over the sovereignty of the Falklands, a position that London has long viewed as completely unacceptable. The White House signed on to the declaration, putting it at odds with the British and in league with a number of anti-American regimes, including Chavez's Venezuela and Daniel Ortega's Nicaragua."

This is the footnote:

[1]Organization of American States, "Draft Declaration on the Question of the Malvinas Islands," June 7, 2011, at http://www.oas.org/en/41ga/docs/AG05445E02.doc (June 9, 2011).

The article further reports:

"As Margaret Thatcher reminded the world in an address to the House of Commons after the Argentine invasion in 1982, the Falklands are, and will always remain, British:

"The people of the Falkland Islands, like the people of the United Kingdom, are an island race. Their way of life is British; their allegiance is to the Crown. They are few in number, but they have the right to live in peace, to choose their own way of life and to determine their own allegiance. It is the wish of the British people and the duty of Her Majesty's Government to do everything that we can to uphold that right. That will be our hope and our Endeavour and, I believe, the resolve of every Member of the House."

I really don't understand what the Obama administration is doing here.  The islands are British.  This would be like the United States being asked to turn Hawaii over to another country.  It just seems as if the Obama administration is supporting troublemakers around the world and turning its back on our traditional allies.