Britain and the Falklands : International Perspectives 1982-1990

Abstract

The Falklands dispute revolved around a group of small islands, the sovereignty of which was claimed by two nations. However, once conflict broke in April 1982, the dispute took an international dimension. States were drawn in by their relationships with Britain and Argentina. This thesis seeks to examine to what extent there was an international reaction to the crisis and offer a comparison between the international reactions to the dispute, seeking to draw common themes, and thus offers a comparative history of international receptions to the conflict. Although, the Falklands conflict has been covered in depth in both academic and other text, the historiography lacks a detailed survey of the international response. In presenting a comparative study of international reactions to the dispute, this thesis contributes to understanding to what extent the ‘Falklands Factor’, the phenomenon in Britain that boosted support for the Conservative government, was a shared phenomenon elsewhere in the world. This study examines nations in a number of different international organisations and assesses the influencing factors behind their reaction to the crisis. Although these organisations held much power and influence, their ability to wield such influence was limited in how the situation was viewed by the individual member states. The groups examined in this thesis were all formed out of individual nations that at some point held a shared ethos or goal which encouraged them to come together in the form of governmental coalition. However, in a bipolar world, the individual components that made up the collective, often prioritised their own objectives over those of the organisation. The conflict and subsequent debates highlighted how this phenomenon not only affected international response to the Falklands crisis but how it could also influence relations between states. Although the conflict has been covered in detail, it has in the main been looked at in a national and exceptionalist context. This work offers a transnational perspective through comparison between different reactions in states, offering a contribution to our understanding of the crisis’ impact.