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The Messy Business of the Falklands War of 1982

Larry Holzwarth February 23, 2020 32 min

Falklands War - Stanley — A short but bloody war for sovereignty over the remote Falkland Islands was fought in 1982. Wikimedia

23. The Falklands War boosted the Conservative Party in Great Britain

HMS *Invincible* returned to Britain and huge celebrations after the war. Defense Imaging, Royal Navy

The end of the war and the successful retaking of the Falkland Islands by the British created a surge of patriotism in Great Britain. Proposed cuts to the British Navy were abandoned. Margaret Thatcher enjoyed a period of increased popularity. The Conservative Party increased its majority in Parliament in the ensuing general election. The opposite effect was felt in Argentina. The loss of the Falklands (called Malvinas in Argentina) led to protests and demonstrations against the ruling military junta. Argentina restored a democratic government in 1983. Diplomatic relations between the two nations weren’t restored until 1989, and neither side changed its position over sovereignty of the islands.

The war remains one of interest to military planners. Although the casualty numbers seem low at first glance, as a percentage of the total number involved, they were high. The vulnerability of ships to anti-ship missiles startled the navies of the world, and defensive systems against them were improved, with newer systems developed. Argentina continued to claim sovereignty over the islands into the 21^st century. It retains the claim today, though in 2009 the British Government announced there would be no further discussions of the matter. Of the 229 world economies ranked by the CIA in 2010, the Falkland Islands were listed at 222. Perhaps that’s why Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges described the Falklands War as “two bald men fighting over a comb”.

Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

“The Malvinas War of 1982: An Inevitable Conflict than Never Should Have Occurred”. Joseph S. Turchin, Latin American Research Review. 1987

“Help was weeks away as 88 men waited in the Falklands dark for 3,000 invaders”. Miles Goslet, The Telegraph. April 1, 2007

“30 Years since the Falklands War”. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic. March 30, 2012

“Argentina Invades Falkland Islands”. Staff writers, The Age. April 3, 1982

“Margaret Thatcher showed no reaction after order to sink Belgrano ship during Falklands War, papers reveal”. Andy McSmith, The Independent. June 18, 2015

“Falklands Invasion ‘Surprised’ Thatcher”. Peter Biles, BBC World Affairs. December 28, 2012

“Falkland war zones bolster UN case for a law of the sea”. Louis Wiznitzer, Christian Science Monitor. April 14, 1982

“Air War in the Falklands”. Carl A. Posey, Air and Space Magazine. September, 2002

“Belgrano, 25 years on”. James Sturcke, The Guardian. May 2, 2007

“Revealed: Catalog of failings that sank Falklands warship HMS Sheffield”. Ian Cobain, The Guardian. October 15, 2017

“Falklands War: SAS role in the conflict”. Peter Jackson, BBC News. May 4, 2012