REGIONAL WARS were an important part of international affairs. The FALKLAND ISLANDS/MALVINAS WAR (March–June): Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands (March), asserting its claim to the British colony. In response the British sent a major military force, which defeated the Argentine forces and recaptured all territories. The LEBANESE WAR: In the course of a continuing civil war in Lebanon and continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict across the southern Lebanese border, ISRAEL invaded southern Lebanon (June) and rapidly gained control of the region. The invasion and then bombardment of Beirut aroused large-scale international protest. After many incidents, Israel pulled back from Beirut but maintained an occupation force in much of the south at the end of the year. IRAN-IRAQ WAR: the war that had begun with Iraq's invasion of Iran in 1980 entered a new phase in 1982 with a successful Iranian counteroffensive and a shift in the balance of fighting.
International meetings of many different types showed some of the difficulties in developing coordinated policies and actions on a global scale. A conference on East-West cooperation in Madrid (March) adjourned when discussions reached an impasse. The Second General Assembly Special Session on Disarmament (July) was unable to reach any agreement. Despite a meeting at the ministerial level of OPEC regarding prices and production quotas (July), the states remained strongly divided. The regularly scheduled summit conference of the Organization of African Unity was canceled because of a dispute over Chad's representation.
The completion of the LAW OF THE SEA TREATY was a major success for international negotiations. The ThirdUNConference on the Law of the Sea drafted the treaty, which represented eight years of negotiations (1973–82) and was a comprehensive agreement governing the use of the seas and their resources.
The eighth summit of the leaders of the G-7 countries dealt with political issues, like the wars in the south Atlantic and in Lebanon, as well as economic issues.
SEPARATIST MOVEMENTS were important elements in international affairs. In INDIA, Sikh militants in Punjab, Muslims in Kashmir, and activists in Assam all mounted serious opposition to the government. An Armenian militant group, the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia was responsible for a series of bombings, including one in a Paris airport that killed five people (July). Violence involving Tamil separatists in Sri Lanka resulted in nearly 400 deaths in July and August. The French banned the Corsican Liberation Front, a separatist group that had taken credit for many bombings during 1982.
The Sixth General Assembly of the World Council of Churches met in Vancouver. Deliberations gave attention to matters of shared worship and approved a document on war and peace.
