Leopoldo Galtieri
Leopoldo Galtieri was the Argentine junta leader who ordered the invasion of the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) on 2 April 1982, gambling that Britain would not respond militarily and that the United States would remain neutral. A general who had trained with the US Army at the School of the Americas and maintained close CIA ties, he badly misjudged both Margaret Thatcher's resolve and Ronald Reagan's alliance priorities. The military adventure was partly designed to distract Argentine public attention from the junta's economic failures and human rights atrocities. The swift British military response and Argentine defeat (June 14, 1982) destroyed the junta's legitimacy — Galtieri resigned three days after the surrender. The Falklands defeat was the proximate cause of Argentina's democratic transition: elections followed in 1983. Galtieri was convicted in 2002 for the disappearances during the dirty war and died under house arrest.
- Lived: 1926 CE – 2003 CE
- Nationality: argentinian
- Roles: general, dictator, head_of_state
