Jeane Kirkpatrick dies

Our first female ambassador to the UN was 80.

Here's an interesting piece from the London Times on Kirkpatrick, "Britain’s least favourite American during the Falklands War."

Kirkpatrick, who was close to the Argentine junta headed by General Galtieri, argued that America should not jeopardise its relations with Latin America by supporting Britain in a colonial war. Haig and the US Defence Secretary Caspar Weinberger (obituary, March 29, 2006) took Britain’s side, and Weinberger was later awarded an honorary knighthood for his role in the victory.

Had Kirkpatrick prevailed, Britain would have been deprived of American fuel, Sidewinder missiles and other arms, and the vital US satellite intelligence that enabled it to win the war. And Galtieri and his junta would not have been replaced by a freely elected government.

President Reagan found himself in the midst of the tug-of-war between the West’s two most formidable conservative women — Jeane Kirkpatrick and Margaret Thatcher.

Thatcher prevailed, but though the two shared a similar ideology, the British Prime Minister never forgave Kirkpatrick for her role in the Falklands.

Here's a link to "Dictatorships and Double Standards," the article that brought Kirkpatrick to Reagan's attention.