ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 examines British foreign policy identity in the early years of Margaret Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister, focusing on debates around the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Falklands conflict. Island Race identity was mobilised in the Afghanistan debates through a reassertion of Britain’s part in a democratic metacommunity that knew no bounds to its area of influence; the importance of lines of communication in upholding benevolent patterns of free trade; and the juxtaposition of Britain and allies with rapacious Soviet land power. The Falklands discourse was constituted similarly: through emphasis on the common island heritage and democratic credentials of the Falklanders as opposed to fascist Argentina; and valorisation of the journey of the British Naval Task Force across the vast distance to the Falklands confirming the importance of Britain maintaining a global reach. Furthermore, the conflict was historicised by Thatcher as being part of the episodic chronicle of Britain that finally lay to rest the ghosts of Suez. These ‘crises’ co-constitutively mobilised Island Race identity tropes, securing Britain’s contextual relevance.
