The Malvinas Question

‘This is a book full of voices in dialogue. Uriel Erlich has chosen to bring together a notably varied forum of protagonists, allowing each and all to express themselves effectively, ranging from the opinions of statesmen, those responsible for some stage of the negotiating processes in respect of the “Malvinas Question”, to the views of political analysts. All are originally and tellingly interspersed with the life stories of men and women whose personal histories are traversed by these delicate considerations. Usually such viewpoints are dissociated: whoever deals with “the central” habitually ignores “the peripheral”; the story is as often viewed “from above” or “from below”. This version consists of a scholarly analysis set amidst a choral narrative of multiple registers. It is a most effective way to address an ever-complex topic that does not start or end in a war, absurd or glorious. It necessarily frames the “Malvinas Question” as a political issue, subject to bilateral debate yet only understandable in the broader context of international affairs. The purpose of the book, to address the development of official Argentine foreign policy on what again emerges as a yet unresolved matter, inseparable from the airing of internal voices intertwined in a plural and complex account, is thoroughly accomplished.’ (Marcelo Vernet, Great-great-grandson of Luis Vernet, First Political and Military Commander of the Malvinas Islands)