The Beagle Conflict

Argentina and Chile on the Brink of War Volume 1: 1904-1978

Antonio Luis Sapienza Fracchia

• Publisher: Helion and Company
• Year: 2023
• ISBN:
  9781804514979
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

The Beagle conflict was a territorial dispute between Argentina and Chile over the determination of the layout of the eastern mouth of the Beagle Channel, which affected the sovereignty of the islands located south of the channel, and east of Cape Horn and its adjacent maritime spaces. The first antecedents of the conflict date back to 1888, seven years after the signing of the Treaty of Limits. In 1901, the first Argentine map appeared in which some of the islands in question were drawn as within Argentina's control. Despite the small size of the islands, their strategic value between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans caused a long conflict between the two South American states that went on for much of the 20th century, causing a number of 'minor' incidents, and almost culminating in a major war. The conflict focused on the dispute over the sovereignty of the islands and the oceanic rights generated by them to Chile, but it was not limited exclusively to these islands. Volume 1 of The Beagle Conflict mini-series covers the origins of the dispute and border clashes between the two countries from the time of the independence of Chile and Argentina from the Spanish Crown, until early 1978, and is illustrated with original photographs, custom-drawn artworks and maps.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Contents
• Abbreviations
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 Background
• 2 The Beginning of the Disputes
• 3 The First Incidents
• 4 Escalation in the Border Crisis, in Laguna del Desierto
• 5 The Alto Palena Dispute
• 6 Dispute of the Puna de Atacama
• 7 More Border Incidents Caused by Argentina
• 8 The Crisis Breaks Out
• 9 Mediators Urgently Needed!
• 10 War Clouds on the Horizon
• 11 Ready for Combat?
• 12 War Seems Inevitable. The Failure of Negotiations
• 13 The Argentine Armed Forces in 1978
• 14 The Chilean Armed Forces in 1978
• Appendices
• Bibliography
• Notes
• About The Author
• Plates