Falklands War

Falklands War (2 Apr.-14 June 1982) The war over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. These had been first discovered by the British in 1592, and became home to a British settlement in 1833. Argentina also claimed them (as the Malvinas) on the basis of a Spanish settlement dating to the 1760s, and their geographic location around 600 km (385 miles) off the Argentinian coast. Argentina revived its claim after 1945, and from 1965 it negotiated with Britain through the United Nations. By the 1970s, Britain appeared to be willing to transfer sovereignty to Argentina. One solution was ‘leaseback’, whereby Argentina would be given sovereignty, but Britain would administer the islands. However, the Falkland Islanders wished to remain under British rule, and negotiations broke down in 1982. In late March 1982 the Argentine President, Galtieri, sent three warships to South Georgia (a dependency of the Falklands), in order to deflect Argentinian attention from the poor economic and human rights record of his regime. This was followed by an invasion of the Falkland Islands on 2 April.

Negotiations were attempted by the UN, the USA, and Peru, but despite international pressure (backed by UN Resolution 502) calling on Argentina to withdraw, Galtieri stood firm. By 5 April, a British task force was ready to depart to the Falklands, eventually numbering twenty warships, along with supporting vessels and 6,000 troops. Having sailed 13,000 km to the South Atlantic, it easily recaptured South Georgia on 25 April, and began to attack East Falkland. On 7 April, Britain had declared a 200–mile ‘exclusion zone’ around the Falklands; in one of the most controversial acts of the war, on 2 May the Argentinian cruiser, General Belgrano, was sunk (at the cost of 370 lives) despite the fact that it was sailing away from the Falklands. There were commando landings on West Falkland on 14 May, and the main British invasion was launched on the night of 20/21 May, at Port San Carlos on East Falkland. Extensive fighting took place, 21–7 May, by which time a bridgehead had been established. The major battle between the opposing land forces took place at Goose Green on 28 May. After this, despite Argentine counter-attacks at Fitzroy and Bluff Cove, British troops made steady progress and recaptured Port Stanley on 14 June.

The war cost 225 British lives, and approximately 750 Argentinian. The Argentinian defeat resulted in the fall of Galtieri, and it helped to portray Margaret Thatcher as a strong and decisive leader. Britain has since refused to reopen discussions over sovereignty, but after the accession of Menem relations with Argentina have been normalized.