Maldives, Malvinas, one of those.
The president appeared to be having some difficulty with his archipelagos in this clip from a press conference with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. At 20:30, he means to say "Malvinas," the Spanish name for the Falkland Islands, but instead says "Maldives," an Indian-ocean nation: Some right-wing bloggers are making the case that the real ...
The president appeared to be having some difficulty with his archipelagos in this clip from a press conference with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. At 20:30, he means to say "Malvinas," the Spanish name for the Falkland Islands, but instead says "Maldives," an Indian-ocean nation:
The president appeared to be having some difficulty with his archipelagos in this clip from a press conference with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. At 20:30, he means to say "Malvinas," the Spanish name for the Falkland Islands, but instead says "Maldives," an Indian-ocean nation:
Some right-wing bloggers are making the case that the real issue here is that Obama was favoring the Argentinean position on the disputed island chain by using, or at least attempting to use, the Spanish name — yet another anti-British slight. But if you watch the whole video, Obama was responding to a question from a Spanish-speaking reporter who used the word "Malvinas" and his answer was strenuously neutral:
"And in terms of the Maldives or the Falklands, whatever your preferred term, our position on this is that we are going to remain neutral. We have good relations with both Argentina and Great Britain, and we are looking forward to them being able to continue to dialogue on this issue. But this is not something that we typically intervene in."
That’s not good enough for some British observers, who want the U.S. to vocally support the British position on the islands, but the administration has made it pretty clear it’s not interested in going near this dispute — a hot-button issue in Latin American politics.
But in any case, it’s definitely not the Maldives.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy
Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.
The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.
Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.
How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
