Citation:
Pesek, Mason A. 2012. “The Perfect Storm: How the Combined Effect of State Feudalization in Argentina and Diplomatic Misperception Contributed to the Outbreak of the Falklands/Malvinas War.” WCFIA Undergraduate Thesis Conference. Cambridge, MA: Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/ylott5to
Date Presented:
10 February 2012Abstract:
A synthesis of both comparative political theory and international relations, this work analyzes how the increased degree of state feudalization in Argentina in comparison to its other bureaucratic authoritarian neighbors (Brazil and Chile) contributed to a more unstable and vulnerable regime that was more prone to seek out an external conflict to solidify domestic support. Subsequently, Great Britain failed to signal to Argentina that it was willing to fight for the islands due to its misperception of Argentina’s willingness to invade, leading Argentina to invade thanks to the misperception that the Falklands/Malvinas would not be defended, and a bloodless war would gain it the support its domestic political institutions could not.
See also: 2012