KEDUDUKAN AMERIKA SYARIKAT DALAM PERANG FALKLAND, 1982: SATU PENELITIAN TERHADAP CATATAN MEMOIR TERPILIH OLEH ELIT PENTADBIR SEMASA ERA PRESIDEN RONALD REAGAN

THE UNITED STATES’ POSITION IN THE FALKLANDS WAR, 1982: AN EVALUATION OF SELECTED MEMOIR BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE ELITE DURING THE ERA OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN

Abstract

Kertas kerja ini menumpukan perbincangan tentang catatan memoir terpilih oleh elit pentadbiran Amerika Syarikat mengenai Perang Falkland pada tahun 1982 sewaktu era Presiden Ronald Reagan. Objektif utama kertas kerja ini adalah untuk menunjukkan pendirian Amerika Syarikat dan perspektif elit pentadbirannya yang terlibat dalam perang selama 74 hari tersebut dari 2 April hingga 14 Jun 1982. Perkara terbabit mempunyai signifikan kerana Amerika Syarikat telah terlibat dengan Perang Falkland itu sendiri baik secara langsung atau tidak langsung meski pun perang tersebut berlaku antara Kerajaan Britain dengan Kerajaan Argentina. Untuk itu, kaedah kualitatif telah digunakan dengan cara menganalisis catatan memoir terpilih elit pentadbiran Amerika Syarikat dalam menghasilkan perbincangan yang lebih objektif melalui sokongan dokumen primer daripada arkib. Dokumen berkenaan terdiri daripada fail dari Ronald Reagan dari California dan sumber Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS). Bahan sekunder yang berautoriti seperti tesis, buku dan artikel jurnal turut digunakan bagi melengkapkan kronologi perbincangan. Kertas kerja ini seterusnya sampai kepada penjelasan bahawa catatan memoir terpilih daripada elit pentadbir Amerika Syarikat adalah penting untuk menggambarkan perspektif dan pendirian Washington terhadap Perang Falkland 1982 dalam era kepimpinan Presiden Ronald Reagan.

Kata kunci: Amerika Syarikat, Britain dan Argentina, elit pentadbiran, Perang Falkland, memoir

Abstract 

This paper focuses on a discussion of selected memoirs by the U.S. administrative elite on the Falklands War in 1982 during the era of President Ronald Reagan. The main objective of this paper is to show the stance of the United States and the perspectives of its administrative elites involved in the 74-day war from April 2 to June 14, 1982. The matter has significance because the United States has been involved with the Falklands War itself either directly or indirectly even though the war took place between the British Government and the Argentine Government. Qualitative methods have been used by analyzing selected memoir notes of the U.S. administrative elite in producing a more objective discussion through the support of primary documents from the archives. The documents consisted of files from Ronald Reagan of California and Foreign Relations sources of the United States (FRUS). Authoritative secondary materials such as theses, books, and journal articles were also used to complete the chronology of the discussion. This paper, therefore, concluded that selected memoirs from the U.S. administrative elite are important to illustrate Washington’s perspective and stance on the 1982 Falklands War in the era of President Ronald Reagan’s leadership. 

Keywords:  United States, Britain and Argentina, administrative elite, Falklands War, memoir