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Before the war of 1982, the Falkland Islands were an almost forgotten remnant of the old British Empire. The Falkands were first occupied by the French in 1764, but the islands were ceded to Spain shortly after. The Spanish only established themselves on West Falkland and in 1765 the British took control of East Falkand. By 1816, because of the inclement climate and strategic uselessness, both Spain and Britain had removed their garrisons and the Falklands had no permanent inhabitants. In 1820 a vessel from the newly independent Argentina arrived to establish a permanent settlement. However it was driven out by a British expedition in 1832. At this time the British declared full sovereignty and has maintained a consistent claim to sovereignty since then. This claim was pursued periodically through diplomatic channels until 1982 when a force from Argentina overran the British garrison and established a military base on “Islas Malvinas,” a name derived from the original French settlers.

While all attempts at negotiation and mediation failed, a British task force assigned at the start of the crisis was ordered to continue its journey and engage the Argentines. Argentina formally surrendered on June 14, which was 10 weeks after the initial invasion. The issue of sovereignty here has continued to be an issue between Britain and Argentina. Negotiations were opened between the two sides in 1988 under UN auspices. The UK adamantly refused to discuss sovereignty. The islanders have been given full British citizenship. Some progress has been made on economic issues such as fisheries control and other trade issues, but the Falklands leadership has still refused to move on issues such as aircraft landing rights. Despite these issues, the Falkland Islands have made economic progress in the two decades after the war.

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