If Only Prince William Had Met Jose de San Martin

If Only Prince William Had Met Jose de San Martin

"The presence of a fortunate soldier, however disinterested he may be, is dangerous to newly constituted states." -Jose de San Martin
It appears militant democracy is once again growing in the polluted soils of Britain. The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, is leading the Royal Navy's most advanced fleet of new warships to the Falkland Islands. As they travel thousands of miles across the Atlantic, it is another threat, another warning, one fired across Argentina's hopes of someday regaining the Falkland Islands.
This kind of action also evokes centuries of colonization, including fierce battles, between Latin America's Armies of the Andes and Britannia's Royal Forces. It also reminds one of Jose de San Martin. San Martin, who was from Argentina, helped liberate Hispanic America from distant threats in the 19th century while issuing a stark warning. He warned against military leaders becoming monarchs, presidents and prime-ministers.
Unlike some European and Latin American military leaders, that pursued a fevered lust for war and murderous determination, San Martin was selfless and devoted to avoiding military conflicts and needless casualties. In an act of selfless duty, he surrendered his forces to the Liberator, Simon Bolivar. He hated honors and mass adulation. He never sought a crown for himself. Instead, he sought a common freedom with equality.
Just before returning to Argentina and in his farewell address to the people of Peru, San Martin humbly declared, "My promises to the countries in which I warred are fulfilled: to make them independent and to leave to their governments. The presence of a fortunate soldier, however disinterested he may be, is dangerous to newly constituted states." The same can be said of fortunate soldiers in old states and outdated empires.
For several weeks, Prince William and the HMS Dauntless will be dominating the waters around Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. Overhead, attack helicopters will whirl and fighter jets will scream as they practice their recon and combat missions and mock sorties. Is Prince William, heir to the British throne, like other European conquerors who tried to display colonial behavior?
Argentina's President Christian Fernandez has challenged such aggressive behavior. While attempting to resolve the Falkland's issue through the United Nations, she has accused a declining empire of trying to militarize a dispute and of deflecting economic turmoil at home. Britain spends millions of dollars maintaining its military presence in the Falklands. Yet, millions of its own people are unemployment and without adequate education.
"I am also disgusted with hearing that I wish to make myself a sovereign," said San Martin, "Nevertheless, I shall always be ready to make the last sacrifice for the liberty of the country-but in the capacity of a private individual and not other." Prince William and other Royalists would have a far greater impact if they reformed Britain's aristocratic sovereigns and if they established a more free and egalitarian society.
Other de-sovereign reforms would be beneficial too, starting with decolonizing and demilitarizing the Falkland Islands. What if Prince William helped legislate the Falkland Islander's right to self-determination, or pursued reparations for his government's culpability in illegally dislodging Argentines and replacing them with an occupying power and its penal colony? These are the kinds of actions that diffuse future wars, are they not?
Upon returning to Argentina, San Martin was offered command of the army but refused knowing it would launch a civil war resulting in the deaths of thousands of Argentines. Leaving for Europe, he wrote that what was needed was a savior who would combine the prestige of victory with respect for others and all provinces.(1) He would have rather died a thousand times than to cause a major conflict and to use war as an instrument of horror.
History is replete with military generals that led revolutions and then became militant sovereign-like leaders, re-militarizing newly established republics into aggressive nation states. George Washington traded one military uniform for another: commander-in-chief. He then crushed popular revolts and turned his armies on Indian allies, slaughtering thousands, including women and children.
In Saint Dominique-Haiti, Toussaint L'Ouverture's leading general, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, finally declared the colony independent. Remaining in power, tens of thousands of political opponents and farmers were purged. Even Simon Bolivar died a disappointed leader, as his united Gran Colombia experienced numerous trade and political wars and was eventually divided. Meanwhile, the poor and oppressed continued to suffer.
More recently, republics have been usurped by military juntas. Margaret Thatcher was proud to have been referred to as the "Iron Lady," a term used to describe a conservative Junker, Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck strived after supreme political and military power, believing decisions would be decided by "blood and iron." Argentina's military junta believed the same. Both militarized republics went to war over the Falklands in 1982.
Since the Falklands military debacle, Argentina has demilitarized. It has avoided wars and conflicts. But this is not the case with Britain. It has helped initiate unpopular military interventions around the world, Iraq and Afghanistan and Libya being the most current. It continues to try and live its imperial ambitions through one of its colonial children, the United States. These forays have caused political, economic and moral bankruptcy.
Unlike Prince William and other military leaders-or civilian leaders that thought blood and iron were better than life and peace-that became presidents and prime ministers, San Martin remained true to the ideals of liberty and democracy. The Reluctant General and Protector believed the last thing the world needed was another militant leader and another zone of provocation and war. If only Prince William would have met Jose de San Martin.


World News
Tuesday, 21 February 2012