Suppose the Falklands Affair of 1982 had descended into a full-blown war? What if rather than withdrawing, the Argentines had decided to stay and fight? What would have been the consequences?
I can think of one: Had there actually been a war, it's outcome would have been the deciding factor in the 1983 election.
OOC: In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. After a British task force led by two carriers was hastily assembled and began making it's way towards the islands, the Argentine government withdrew. The Argentines calculated that the British were not going to stop and had superior forces, and decided to avoid the serious probability of defeat and withdrew from the islands. They shifted to focusing on election-forging and internal repression instead.