The Falkland (or Malvinas) Islands-a peaceful haven for land and sea birds and once a profitable paradise for whalers and seal hunters-erupted into the headlines on April 2, 1982. The armed conflict between Britain and Argentina that continued during the following two months was but one more stage in a long-standing struggle over the sovereignty of the islands, a conflict dating back to colonial times. The issues, much discussed, remain unresolved.

In this book, the Hoffmanns present the background to the confrontation between Argentina and Britain, as well as an analysis of the present situation. Clarifying the importance of the seemingly insignificant, remote islands in the South Atlantic, over which European nations nearly went to war several times and which Britain wrested from Argentina in the 1830s, the authors trace the history of the dispute, the involvement of the United States, and the impact of the recent war on inter-American relations.