When she first became Argentina’s president in 2007, Cristina Kirchner said that her nation’s “sovereignty” over the Falkland Islands was non-negotiable, and in the four years since then her stance on the issue has only become more combative. Last week, she won a landslide reelection which will further bolster her government’s attempts at bringing Britain to the negotiating table with international pressure.

Back in 2008, Kirchner gave a speech marking the 26th anniversary of Argentina’s failed attempt to conquer the Falklands, saying her country’s claim to the islands was “inalienable.” Vice President Julio Cobos elaborated: “We must recover this territory that is ours, that belongs to us.” The following year, Argentina put measures in place to economically squeeze the Falklands into submission, and a spokesman for Argentina’s Foreign Ministry said they would remain in place until Britain agreed to enter into talks on Argentina’s claim of sovereignty over the islands.

In February 2010, the tensions increased when Kirchner decreed that any ships sailing from Argentina to the Falklands would have to obtain a special permit. The law was part of Argentina’s reaction to news that British firms were planning to drill for oil in waters near the Falklands, which have since been confirmed to hold significant resources. In January of this year, Brazil blocked a British Royal Navy ship from docking in Rio de Janeiro in a move designed to show Brazil’s support for Argentina’s claim to the Falklands.

Then in June, Kirchner lashed out at British Prime Minister David Cameron and called Britain “a crude colonial power in decline” after Cameron said British sovereignty of the Falklands was not up for discussion. The same month, the Organization of American States, which represents North and South American nations, called for negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falklands. In September, Kirchner told the General Assembly of the United Nations that Argentina would never surrender its “inexhaustible” claim to the islands. Kirchner’s stance on the Falklands has grown increasingly combative, and while her victory in the recent election was attributed primarily to the strong economic growth Argentina has enjoyed during her first term, it is also viewed by many as an endorsement of her combative approach to Britain.

Prior to World War ii, Britain and the United States controlled every major sea gate in the world. These “gates,” as they are called in the Bible, proved crucial to Allied success throughout World War ii. But since that time, the U.S. and Britain have given up their control as gatekeepers without a fight. Suez, Singapore and the Panama Canal have all been surrendered, and we can expect Gibraltar and the Falklands to soon be too. Now that Kirchner knows she has unwavering support from the Argentine people, the time is ripe for her to intensify her diplomatic disagreements with Britain. In this era of eroding will in Britain, London will not put up much of a fight to hold on to this vital sea gate.

To understand more about Britain’s imminent loss of the Falkland Islands, and the rapid decline of U.S.-British control over the world’s other sea gates, read “Changing of the Guard,” from our booklet He Was Right.