Reply #14: Oh, the British WERE keen on invading and conquering territories...

[ocpagu]

Argentina did have wars and expansion through history, just like any major country in the world. But it was not an imperial power, like Britain.

Long after Spain and Portugal abandoned their imperial ambitions in South America and their colonies became independent countries, United Kingdom continued trying to establish colonies throughout the continent. They tried to take control of almost all the islands of the South Atlantic.

Including the archipelago of Trindade and Martim Vaz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trindade_and_Martim_Vaz

Its history is quite similar to that of Falklands:

It was a Portuguese territory since 1502, but the British also claimed the archipelago to be under its possession since 1700, after Edmund Halley visited the islands. When Brazil became independent in 1822 it inherited Portugal's claim, but never occupied the islands. The exotic American author James Harden-Hickey also "claimed the island and declared himself as James I, Prince of Trinidad" in 1893.

The British once again occupied the islands in the 1890s, but Brazil was able to recover the archipelago by diplomatic means and then built a permanent base for the Brazilian Navy.

There are several examples very similar to Falklands related to many areas claimed to be British at some point in the past. The difference with Falklands is that the British still keep claiming that.