"Malvinas Requiem has a well-earned spot as the major literary piece on Argentina's only twentieth-century war."--Buenos Aires Herald It's early June 1982 and winter in the Falkland Islands: twenty-four young soldiers--deserters from the Argentine army--spend the last weeks of the conflict hiding underground in a cave. Inside their refuge, they listen to the radio, stockpile supplies, and exchange stories; outside, under cover of night, they trade with the Argentine quartermaster and with the British. Looking out over the bleak landscape, after weeks of gray skies and horizontal snow, one of them remarks that "you'd have to be English to want this."
The dispute over the South Atlantic islands that Britain calls the Falklands and Argentina claims as the Islas Malvinas has its own unique features, but the legal and political problems at its center, the tension between sovereignty based on prior title, the principle of territorial integrity, and the right of "a people" to self-determination are core issues in many of the other difficult conflicts that beset our rapidly changing world. This book presents a comprehensive analysis of the Falklands/Malvinas dispute and offers concrete suggestions for a new approach to its resolution. The author reviews the long and complex legal history of the islands, from the papal bulls of the fifteenth century and the diplomatic maneuverings of the European colonial powers to the break-up of empires and the evolution of the concept of self-determination. He also describes more recent developments in detail: the role of the United Nations, the failed negotiations that preceded military conflict in 1982, and the profound changes that have occurred in the islands since then. The Falklands War did not resolve the dispute between Britain and Argentina; after a period of stalemate, new initiatives are emerging, new proposals are being offered. The author argues that the opportunity now exists for all three partiesArgentina, Britain, and the islandersto get beyond outdated assumptions and rigidly held positions and construct a new framework for discussions and negotiations, one based on the real and present mutual interests of all concerned. This book makes an important contribution not only to the ongoing debate on the fate of the Falklands/Malvinas but also to the field of international law and conflictresolution.
The complex question of the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands remains far from resolved, even after the military and political events that took place from April to June 1982. The first scholarly work of its kind, this broad and dispassionate study of the causes of the South Atlantic war between Britain and Argentina addresses the larger issues raised by the Falkland crisis and untangles a web of events and attitudes that stretch back over the past century. The book begins with a close evaluation of the two pivotal arguments: Argentina's stance that international law supports their historical right to the islands, and Britain's position that the length of their occupation of the Falklands, together with the principles of self-determination, legalized their de facto control. Gustafson then discusses how potential off-shore oil reserves, diplomacy, domestic politics, and the use of force entered into the sovereignty dispute; analyzes the effects of war on international relations; and considers possible future approaches to handling the dispute.
This book explores the Falklands War from an Argentinian perspective, taking into consideration three aspects. First, it introduces classified documents after the end of the thirty-year ban. Second, it highlights various conceptual, institutional, and doctrinal reforms in the Argentinian and other South American armed forces as a result of lessons learned from the Malvinas War. Third, it reflects on the war's long-term implications on Argentina’s foreign policy and society. The book offers the first comprehensive, multi-level analysis, and Argentinian scholarship on the conflict. It is based on original primary data, mainly official documentation and interviews with military officers and combatants.
After four decades from the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina over possession of the Falklands/Malvinas islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, this book allows for a new and rounded reading of the causes, course and consequences of the war. It provides a comprehensive overview of the Falkland/Malvinas War by integrating the military history of the conflict into the diplomatic, political, social and cultural aspects of the war. Including a substantial body of advocacy, chronicle, narrative and analysis, the volume draws upon an extensive range of published sources, in English and Spanish, primary sources from both sides and unpublished testimonies. The book, written by Argentine and Australian historians and scholars, discuss themes such as the background to the war, the offensive campaign for the islands and the English and Argentine experiences and memories of the war from the perspective of the islanders. Being part of the Wars and Battles of the World series, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of military history, British history, Latin American history, defence and strategic studies, geopolitics and modern history.
Historical analysis with the intention of providing the reader with judicial arguments and facts necessary to determine, through an objective analysis, who are the rightful owners of the Falkland Islands, regardless of the current state of occupation.
Taking place in 1982, a major event in both post-colonial history and the final phase of the Cold War, as well as a cultural touchstone for two different countries, the Falklands/Malvinas Conflict is one of the most important events of the last two decades of the twentieth century. This volume builds upon the aims of the international Falklands/Malvinas Conflict’s thirty-seventh anniversary conference held at The University of Manchester on 25th and 26th April 2019, examining both Argentine and British sides of the conflict, as well as joining together the voices of the Falklands/Malvinas veterans with those of Falklands/Malvinas commentators, teasing out the multifaceted nature of the conflict. This allows readers to connect first-hand veterans’ accounts with academics’ and commentators’ research, as well as providing a larger picture and broader scope of how the 1982 conflict played out and is remembered in not only Argentina and Britain but also the United States, forty years after the conflict. Including previously unheard first-hand accounts of the Falklands/Malvinas Conflict from key Argentine and British participants and combatants, such as Commodore Michael Clapp and Major General Julian Thompson and key members of 2 PARA, this volume offers a unique understanding of the conflict from a range of perspectives. Therefore, this volume is an invaluable resource for students and researchers interested in the Falklands/Malvinas Conflict.
Drawing on a wide range of British and Argentine sources, this book highlights the importance of the neglected 1960s as the decade in which the dormant Falklands (Malvinas) dispute became reactivated, developing into a dynamic set of bilateral negotiations on the question of sovereignty.
When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the Marine Corps was ordered to deploy an air-ground brigade in less than ten days, even though no such brigade existed at the time. Assembled from the woefully understrength 1st Marine Division and 1st Marine Air Wing units, the Brigade shipped out only six days after activation, sailed directly to Korea, was in combat within ninety-six hours of landing and, despite these enormous handicaps and numerically superior enemy forces, won every one of its engagements and helped secure the Pusan Perimeter. Despite its remarkable achievements, the Brigade's history has largely been lost amid accounts of the sweeping operations that followed. Its real history has been replaced by myths that attribute its success to tough training, great conditioning, unit cohesion, and combat-experienced officers. None of which were true. T. X. Hammes now reveals the real story of the Brigade's success, prominently citing the Corps' crucial ability to maintain its ethos, culture, and combat effectiveness during the period between World War II and Korea, when its very existence was being challenged. By studying the Corps from 1945 to 1950, Hammes shows that it was indeed the culture of the Corps-a culture based on remembering its storied history and learning to face modern challenges-that was responsible for the Brigade's success. The Corps remembered the human factors that made it so successful in past wars, notably the ethos of never leaving another marine behind. At the same time, the Corps demonstrated commendable flexibility in adapting its doctrine and operations to evolutions in modern warfare. In particular, the Corps overcame the air-ground schism that marked the end of World War II to excel at close air support. Despite massive budget and manpower cuts, the Corps continued to experiment and learn even at it clung to its historical lodestones. This approach was validated during the Brigade's trial by fire. More than a mere battle history, Forgotten Warriors gets to the heart of marine culture to show fighting forces have to both remember and learn. As today's armed forces face similar challenges, this book confirms that culture as much as technology prepares America's fighting men and women to answer their country's call.
