Probably the best description of the Falklands War I've ever read. It's sad that the Belgrano was sunk, since so many men were killed aboard it and there were plans to preserve it, but at the same time, nobody can blame the British government for ordering the sinking. Being an enemy warship, it doesn't make any difference where it was or where it was heading. The Argentinians started the war in violation of international law, and regardless of what you have to say about the outcome, it doesn't change the fact that the Belgrano was a warship doing its duty, just like the HMS Conqueror.
The fact that Thatcher was grilled so endlessly about the sinking seems really idiotic to me, but this is the age we live in...
That was the media, and elements of the left, which, funnily enough I belong to; but being a free thinking person, I give credit where its due; and in this case Thatcher was right to go to war, if going to war meant a good chance of winning the conflict. The one man (apart from Thatcher) who had the gut instinct to go to war was Adm Leach, and this link explains why:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituar ... Leach.html
Another aspect was that Argentina had conscription, were the devide between the officer class and the serving men was wider than in the British armed forces, were the the first duty of an officer (of whatever service) was to put his men first. This resulted in 'leading from the front', sharing the risks and being seen. When it came to the crunch, the thousands of conscripted soldiers and sailors on the Argentinian side were not motivated to risk their lives when they had no stake in the conflict. by comparison the British were motivated to the highest level, being volunteers and imbued with the fierce will to win back the islands. I'm not denegrating the Argentian character, for which I have a great admiration, and the bravery and skill of the 'flying goucho's' who flew their obsolete A4's and Mirage's against the British is highly commendable.
Probably the best outcome after the conflict (it was never a war) was the toppling of the Military Junta, a particularly nasty example of the type. personally, my solution now would be to sell the islands to Argentina, or have joint exploration rights.