Sean Penn jumps into Falkland Islands fray

The war of words between Argentina and Britain over the Falkland Islands, the British archipelago off the Argentinean coast, is heating up with barbs from both sides of the Atlantic.

Now a new voice has joined the fray – one that is neither European nor Latino.

"It's unthinkable that the United Kingdom can make a conscious decision to deploy a prince within the military to the Malvinas, knowing the great emotional sensitivity both of mothers and fathers in the United Kingdom and in Argentina who lost sons and daughters in a war over islands with a population of so few," American actor Sean Penn said this week.

He is referring to the deployment of Prince Williams to the islands, known as the Malvinas by Argentina, which comes just months before the 30^th anniversary of the war between the two nations that caused some 900 casualties.

The growing diplomatic battle has nothing to do with a Hollywood celebrity. But in many ways it does: it is a new breed of “diplomacy” that has seen famous actors, rock stars, and other faces once reserved for People magazine jumping into international politics.

Look at Angelina Jolie, the UN goodwill ambassador who has traveled the world for over a decade to help refugees.  Or the interest that Oprah Winfrey or Bono or Madonna have taken in Africa, as we reported here.

While at times that interest can be controversial (think Madonna and Malawi adoption), few condemn the West’s wealthy sharing their riches. The same cannot be said when politics comes into play, however. And Penn, who has never shied away from voicing an opinion and criticizing the US role in Latin America, is a prime provoker.

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