Nostalgic Britons see Falklands campaign as a "just" war By Anna Tomforde

dpa German Press Agency Published: Tuesday March 27, 2007

London- Reflecting on the silver anniversary of the
Falklands campaign this year, most Britons believe that ex-Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher sent her troops into battle for a just and
worthwhile cause.
Even though attitudes to war and nationalist fervour have mellowed
dramatically over the past 25 years, Thatcher's unwavering response
to the "outrage" triggered by the Argentine invasion are placed in a
completely separate category from the present wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, analysts said.

While Britons might hold a "nostalgic" view of the events in the
South Atlantic a quarter of a century ago, there has no doubt been a
change in the attitude of how interventionist their government should
be.

Recent opinion polls confirmed that four years after the invasion
of Iraq, 60 per cent of Britons believe that the intervention was a
mistake, and 51 per cent said they would oppose military action
abroad if the sole reason was a perceived threat to Britain's
national security.

However, 57 per cent said they would back military action for
causes such as disaster relief or stopping genocide.

The Argentine invasion of the disputed Falkland Islands on April
2, 1982, was at the time viewed as an attack on British territory,
explained one analyst, enabling Thatcher to convince the nation that
a military response was justified.

"In the Falklands the military and political objectives were
achieved in good time, the sacrifice was seen as being worthwhile,"
said one military analyst.

Whereas in the Falklands conflict, the status before the war had
been re-established by the British intervention, the situation in
Iraq has been made more dangerous for both Iraqi civilians and
British troops.

"The two conflicts posed very different military predicaments,
they are a mirror image of each other," said one analyst.

The sacrifice made by Britain in the two-month Falklands
campaign, in which 255 British soldiers died, was seen as being
acceptable because the cause was considered just and the desired goal
was achieved.

By contrast, the persistent trickle of casualties during four
years in Iraq and Afghanistan make Britons feel that those wars
represent a useless waste of life.

It is exactly for this reason that Prime Minister Tony Blair, who
has not concealed his admiration for the strong-willed leadership of
the Thatcher years, would, unlike her, almost certainly lose an
election if one was called now.

Thatcher, meanwhile, will be at the heart of Britain's
celebrations this June of the "liberation" of the Falklands islands.

There is a Thatcher Drive in Port Stanley, the island's capital,
and British filmmakers are working on a documentary tracking the 17
crucial days before the British Task Force sailed to the islands in
the South Atlantic.

"During that period, Thatcher had to confront her private fears,
face the men who doubted her and forge the image that even today
casts a shadow across the political landscape," a spokesman for film
distributor Pathe said.

For Thatcher, aged 81, her planned presence at the four-day
anniversary celebrations, starting on June 14, will probably be the
last chance to bathe in the glory of her 11-year leadership.

At the time, the determination she showed over the Falklands gave
Thatcher's flagging premiership a welcome boost in elections the
following year, enabling her to pursue a highly-divisive and rigorous
domestic political agenda.

"The Falklands campaign was one of the most memorable in post-war
British history. The liberation of the islands was a huge achievement
by our forces, operating in harsh conditions 8,000 miles (15,000
kilometres) away from home at the bottom of the map," said Veterans
Minister Derek Twigg.

The minister stressed, however, that the veterans' parades and
military fly-past over Buckingham Palace on June 17 would "not be
triumphalist," and that the 649 Argentinians who died in the conflict
would also be remembered.

"The commemorations will provide us with an opportunity to reflect
on the events of 25 years ago. Our relationship with Argentina has
come a long way in recent years and, in addition to remembering the
sacrifices of our forces, we will recognize their losses, too."

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency

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