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Author Topic: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
Surfer_With_A_Badge 
Registered: May '07
14978_Jango's Blasters
Date Posted: 5/13/07 6:27pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
It matters because they might want to restrict traffic coming from the Pacific to the Atlantic via Cape Horn. The same way they might want to restrict access to the Mediterranian and still maintain Gibralter.

 

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Ender_Sai 
Title: Manager Emeritus
 Registered: Feb '01
44324_Kyle Katarn
Date Posted: 5/13/07 7:37pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
Yes, but why?

You're thinking like an American would, in globalist terms. Does Britain, in it's foreign policy incarnation, think that way too?

E_S

 

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Mr44 
Registered: May '02
Date Posted: 5/13/07 8:24pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
It did back in 1982, when the action was seen- to a lesser degree- as one of the UK's contributions to the Cold War.

Certainly, the primary factor was national pride as well as to demonstrate that the UK "could do it." (as you mentioned, after Suez) But certainly, Falklands was important because of the Socialistic concerns the West had in Argentina and South America.

Didn't the RAF maintain a listening station on the Falklands that was shared by SIS and the CIA? I remember something along those lines.

 

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Ender_Sai 
Title: Manager Emeritus
 Registered: Feb '01
44324_Kyle Katarn
Date Posted: 5/13/07 9:24pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
What, whilst the Cold Warriors Ronnie Raygun and Jeanie Kirkpatrick advocated a course of strict neutrality with an offer to mediate? raised_brow

E_S

 

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Mr44 
Registered: May '02
Date Posted: 5/13/07 9:41pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
Didn't Thatcher Knight Reagan because of the support the US gave during that conflict?

Why, it's almost that while pubically taking a position, the US was supporting the UK quite readily behind the scenes. I'd say that was win-win for both.

 

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Surfer_With_A_Badge 
Registered: May '07
14978_Jango's Blasters
Date Posted: 5/13/07 9:56pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
Not to mention having US troops take up the British slack in Europe while the British turned their attention to Argentina.

 

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Ender_Sai 
Title: Manager Emeritus
 Registered: Feb '01
44324_Kyle Katarn
Date Posted: 5/13/07 10:10pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
Mr44 posted:
Didn't Thatcher Knight Reagan because of the support the US gave during that conflict?

Why, it's almost that while pubically taking a position, the US was supporting the UK quite readily behind the scenes. I'd say that was win-win for both.


I don't believe he was.

Reagan bowed to Kirkpatrick against the Anglophile Cap Weinberger, leaving SecState Haig to present the mediation package to the world whilst Cap instructed the Pentagon to provide the British with all the support they needed.

Kirkpatrick's reasoning was to not put the region off the US.

So officially the US didn't do anything for Britain except try to negotiate which after the Belgrano went down, was kinda pointless in that Britain had won. Unofficially and without, Haig believes, Ronnie's knowledge the late Caspar Weinberger provided materiel and intelligence to the British navy.

Why knight him?

This notion of "strategic asset", neatly outfitted in a modern suit, doesn't seem to be a product of the times it's claiming to be. I have found nothing which argued for it as a strategic asset that needed to be held to restrict the Pac/Atl. flow of ships, and so it strikes me as a novel thing.

E_S

E_S

 

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Surfer_With_A_Badge 
Registered: May '07
14978_Jango's Blasters
Date Posted: 5/13/07 10:17pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
Sorry, but the fact remains that the Falklands are a location of strategic importance and Britain wasn't going to give them up without a fight. If you don't want to see that, it's your business, but there it is.

 

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Mr44 
Registered: May '02
Date Posted: 5/13/07 10:20pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
I'll have to do more research, but I thought the US readily supplied the UK with new radar systems and more effective missiles after a couple of days. If discovered, the implications would have been different.

When I think of the term strategic asset, I'm thinking more long term like using the Falklands to monitor the "Peronites" and other Soviet leaning movements at the time.
Certainly, the actual conflict was about national pride, but there was more on the island that related to Western interests than just sheep. wink

 

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When you enter a room full of armed men, shoot the first person who makes a move-
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-- Colonel "Paddy" Mayne, co-founder of the SAS
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Ender_Sai 
Title: Manager Emeritus
 Registered: Feb '01
44324_Kyle Katarn
Date Posted: 5/13/07 10:37pm Subject: RE: The Falklands War - 25 Years On
Surfer, you can't simply implant your views onto history and expect because you cliked your heels together three times and wished super-hard, that they'll stick. No piece of established thinking from the time indicates that they were a strategic asset; in fact, the fact that Argentina invaded them to stir up nationalist sentiment in favour of the ruling junta - as they'd never let go of their claim (and still haven't) - rather than for strategic advantage defeats your claim.

Similary, nobody expected Britain to retaliate, and of course both of you ignore that the Tories under Baroness Thatcher weren't terribly popular; lifting the gloomy spirit in England with a resounding military victory helped her tremendously in the polls. Post-war policy has not rendered it any more a strategic asset, even in light of Argentina's continual claim.

So basically, there's nothing to support your claim of strategic value other than, well, your claim. There is, however, plenty to disprove it.

Mr44, no not readily. Like I said, the SecDef was doing in in defiance of the President and official government policy, but at Kirkpatrick's advice the US was very much neutral. So you can't really give your government credit for helping the UK; it was one man doing it in defiance of official policy, and much to his friend (and then SecState)'s dismay.

E_S

 

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