148 Falun Gong Legally the United States had military treaty obligations to both parties in the war, bound to the U.K as a member of NATO and to Argentina by the 1947 Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (the Rio Pact) However, the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty only obliged the signatories to support if the attack occurred in Europe or North America above the tropic of Cancer The Rio Pact obliged the United States to intervene if an adherent was attacked; the U.K never attacked Argentina, only Argentine forces on British territory French President Franỗois Mitterrand gave full support to the U.K in the Falklands War France provided the U.K with aircraft, identical to the ones it had supplied to Argentina, for British pilots to train against and also provided intelligence to help sabotage the Exocet missiles it had sold to the Argentine air force In Latin America, Argentina’s neighbor country Chile also gave its support to the U.K by providing important logistical support during the war and strategic help by threatening an invasion on the west border of Argentina Argentina’s only support was military assistance from Peru and Venezuela This came in the form of critical aircraft supplies like long-range air fuel tanks Cuba and Bolivia also offered ground troops, but their offers were seen as political propaganda and not accepted Only after the war was over did the Brazilian air force send some reinforcements The British eventually prevailed, and the islands remained under British control On June 14, 1982, after the final battle in Port Stanley, the commander of the Argentine garrison in Stanley, Mario Menendez, surrendered to Major General Moore of the Royal Marines From the British point of view, the Falklands War was one of many small military conflicts in which the U.K has been engaged For Argentina, the war remains the country’s main military conflict and is very much present in the people’s memory As of 2006, Argentina still showed no sign of relinquishing its claim to the Falkland Islands Further reading: Hastings, Max, and Simon Jenkins The Battle for the Falklands New York: Norton, 1983; Middlebrook, Martin The Fight for the “Malvinas”: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War New York: Viking, 1989; West, Nigel The Secret War for the Falklands: The SAS, MI6, and the War Whitehall Nearly Lost London: Little, Brown, 1997; Woodward, Sandy, and Patrick Robinson One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1992 Diego I Murguía Falun Gong Falun Gong is a system of meditation exercises, termed qigong, introduced by Li Hongzhi in 1992 Falun Gong, translated as Practice of the Wheel of Law, grew quickly after its public introduction and is also known as Falun Dafa In 1999 the Chinese government suppressed Falun Gong in response to hugely growing numbers and large peaceful demonstrations by Falun Gong practitioners In 1992 Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Gong at the Fifth Middle School in China A system of qigong, Falun Gong is a cultivation practice associated with Buddhism The foundation of Falun Gong is dharma, the doctrine and discipline of Buddhism The Falun Gong core principles are truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance Qigong systems teach breathing techniques and meditation In Falun Gong, practitioners are required to enforce strict meditation and must abide by truth, compassion, and endurance in all of their actions Falun Gong, using evidence they believe does not fit into modern anthropology, teaches that humankind has endured several cycles of civilization Its teachings emphasize not belief but rational understanding To pray or hope for things is considered futile action Lust, homosexuality, and other practices considered of low morals in Falun Gong are believed to hinder the cultivation process According to its beliefs there are five important sets of exercises that include meditation: four standing exercises and one sitting exercise that strengthen the mind and the body It also believes that karma is the cause of disease and that only by letting go of earthly attachments can one prevent and cure disease Additionally, in Falun Gong the Wheel of Law (the Falun) must be installed in the abdomen through meditation Once installed, this Falun turns continuously By the late 1990s, Falun Gong, spread by the Internet, had gained followers all over the world Controversy over its beliefs led to protests by believers in 1998, during which some practitioners were arrested According to Falun Gong reports, the police beat some of the protesters On July 20, 1999, the Chinese government began attempts to suppress the movement, concerned about its growth Books and Web sites related to Falun Gong were suppressed, and the movement was declared illegal in China However, the movement continues to claim followers in more than 80 countries, where governmental reactions range from acceptance to suspicion One estimate projects their membership to be around 70 million people Further reading: Adams, Ian, et al Power of the Wheel: The Falun Gong Revolution Toronto: Stoddart, 2001; Chang,