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The Falklands Islands War of 1982 This paper wil

This paper will discuss the war between Great Britain and Argentina in the Falklands Islands in the Spring of 1982. The paper will specifically focus upon the capabilities of the two countries and the effect of these capabilities upon the outcome of the war. This focus will concern the elements of national power which are relevant to an analysis of this conflict

The various elements of national power are useful in analyzing the outcome of a military conflict, since they explain why a certain outcome occurred. However, certain elements are more important than others in explaining certain conflicts. For instance, analysis of an "all-out" war will largely hinge on the natural resources available to each combatant. A country with the capability of producing large quantities of food has an advantage over an opponent without such capability, since the food-poor nation will have to base its strategy upon this weakness. Similarly, industrial capacity and population size are vitally important in a total war, since these elements dictate the size of a country's armed forces and its ability to equip and supply its forces.

These elements, however, are not as important in a small, limited war. For instance, neither Britain nor Argentina wanted to expand the scope of the Falklands War beyond the islands themselves. Neither country carried out military strikes against the other's homeland and, with a limited exception, both countries limited their direct military actions to the vicinity of the islands. The one action which took place outside this exclusion zone, the sinking of the Argentine heavy cruiser General Belgrano, caused a serious diplomatic furor and derailed diplomatic peace efforts. After that incident, both sides were careful to limit their military actions to the exclusion zone (Freedman, 1988, pp. 52-56).

Thus, neither country brought the full weight of its military forces into the conflict. It is noteworthy, how...

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The Falklands Islands War of 1982 This paper wil. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 04:24, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708352.html