The Background of the Impasse with Argentina

“This has happened before.”. These were the words with which Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola attempted to downplay the impasse that has reportedly emerged with Argentina, due to the allegation of supposed incursions by Chilean aircraft into Argentine airspace.

This came after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ account deleted a retweet of a message from the Argentine Foreign Ministry. In this message, it was noted that Urrejola had spoken with her counterpart Santiago Cafiero about the need to clarify the alleged incident, which only highlighted that Teatinos 180 did not pay attention to the denial made by the Ministry of Defense through Minister Maya Fernández on August 3.

However, Urrejola is not mistaken when she states that this “has happened before.” The Chilean Foreign Ministry, in order not to challenge its counterpart in Buenos Aires, has shown openness to its claims, overlooking the context of ongoing territorial disputes, the fact that Argentina has enacted a Defense Policy declaring the Strait of Magellan as a shared space (which is significantly more serious than any overflight, if it had occurred), and the details of the media maneuver from across the Andes (The book “The Stormy Border History between Chile and Argentina” by Guillermo Parvex is highly recommended).

If Chilean authorities had been more astute in their analysis, they should have considered several elements:

1. The Argentine allegation on August 2 concerns a supposed event that occurred on July 27 and 28, which is at least curious. If the information was already available, then why was it not reported immediately? Clearly, there is a manifest interest in raising the issue. In fact, the newspaper Clarín speaks of “tension,” which, of course, is not perceived on this side of the Andes.
2. Press reports highlight the “effectiveness” of the Argentine Primary Radar (RPA/170) installed this year in Río Grande (Tierra del Fuego) by the government of Alberto Fernández; certainly, it is currently weakened by internal struggles with Vice President Cristina Fernández and the economic context. The alleged flights would have taken place between Chile and the Malvinas/Falkland Islands. Of course, waving the flag to boost popularity is a well-known script.
3. The allegation came a week after the arrival of the UK’s E-3D Sentry aircraft in Chile, which, with their powerful radars, provide the country with a unique capability in the region, something that has been highlighted on Argentine social media as an incentive to strengthen its diminished Armed Forces. Nothing better than a supposed border incident to emphasize the point.
4. Was there a warning from Ambassador Bárbara Figueroa to the Foreign Ministry to preempt this situation so that it would not come as a surprise?
5. It is true that the foreign minister has little room to antagonize Cafiero, after President Gabriel Boric expressed his strong affinity with Alberto Fernández’s government and supported Argentina’s claim over the Malvinas/Falkland Islands, thus repeating the same script as Sebastián Piñera. Nevertheless, attempting to dissociate that claim from all its territorial projections towards Chilean waters and Antarctica amounts to not understanding that the southern space constitutes an integrated security subsystem where not two, but three actors converge, considering the reality of the United Kingdom. 

All of the above underscores, once again, that the mission of diplomats is to promote and defend national interests, always remaining alert to maneuvers that may affect them. It also highlights the need for “effective” coordination and communication between Defense and Foreign Affairs. The ministers met on August 5, but the fluctuations in gestures and statements regarding the situation with Argentina came afterward. 

Finally, it is advisable to remain vigilant regarding the emergence of allegations about new border incidents that may serve Buenos Aires to create complex diplomatic scenarios, especially at a time when Boric’s government is focused on internal issues such as combating crime, the effects of inflation, violence in the southern macrozone, irregular migration, and an uncertain constitutional plebiscite.

AthenaLab Team