The Effectiveness of Military Governments during War: The Case of Argentina in the Malvinas Francisco

摘要

The concept of "remarkable trinity" has been one of the main tools used to study warfare. But what happens when one of three actors that compose it is not in place? This is what occurred in Argentina when its military took the Malvinas Islands in 1982. The war against Great Britain was, indeed, not run by civilians. A study of this war shows how harmful this phenomenon could be. First, the involvement of the officership in politics tends to corrupt professionalism—causing lack of discipline and the loss of the officer-ship's expertise. Second, soft power also seems to play a role. The fact that the military was governing Argentina discredited the country's claims, although Washington had good reasons to remain neutral during the conflict. Finally, some of the most important strategic mistakes made by the Argentines during the war—including the time of the invasion—might have been avoided by the presence of a civilian authority.