National myth and miscalculation lead Argentina to the Falklands

Why did Argentina invade the Falkland Islands when Britain was likely to respond?

Argentina expected Britain to accept the loss or face American restraint, while the territorial claim and domestic political pressures encouraged an invasion.

One interpretation ties the invasion to Argentina's national foundation story and its claim to the islands. Another stresses the expectation that British decolonisation meant London would no longer fight for an overseas possession. The settlement argument distinguishes the Falklands from territories conquered from an existing indigenous population. Argentina also expected the United States to restrain Britain, overestimating its own importance relative to a close American ally. Domestic political distraction supplied another motive. These explanations concern the assumptions behind an invasion even if Britain's carrier fleet had developed differently.