REAGAN ADMINISTRATION:FOREIGN POLICY

Chapter 28

Great communicator

REAGAN DOCTRINE

Building up the military was part of Reagan’s military strategy

He believed the U.S. should support guerrilla groups who were fighting to overthrow Communist or pro-Soviet gov’ts

AID TO AFGHAN REBELS

The most visible example of the Reagan Doctrine was in Afghanistan

12/1979, USSR invaded Afghanistan to support a USSR-backed gov’t

USSR found themselves fighting Afghan guerrillas known as the mujahadeen

Reagan sent $570 million in millitary aid to Mujahdeen rebels

This became USSR’s Vietnam and would eventually pull out of Afghanistan by 1988

PROBLEMS IN NICARAGUA

Reagan was also concerned about USSR influence in Nicaragua

1979, Rebels known as the Sandinistas had overthrown a pro-American dictator in Nicaragua The Sandinistas set up a socialist gov’t

They accepted Cuban & USSR aid & began supporting rebels in neighboring El Salvador

The Reagan admin began secretly arming an anti-Sandinista guerrilla force known as the contras

When Congress learned of this policy, it banned further aid to the contras.

IRAN-CONTRA SCANDAL officials secretly sold weapons to Iran in

exchange for the release of U.S. hostages being held in Middle East

Profits from these sales were then sent to the contras

11/1986, news of the illegal operations broke

One of the chief figures in the Iran-Contra scandal was Maj. Col Oliver North, an aid to the National Security Council

He and other senior NSC & CIA officials testified before Congress and admitted to covering up their actions, including shredding documents to destroy evidence

Reagan insisted he had done nothing wrong, but the scandal tainted his second term in office.

Maj. Col Oliver North

“PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH”

In Reagan’s opinion, the only option open to the U.S. in dealing with the USSR was “peace through strength”

The military buildup Reagan launched was the largest peacetime buildup in U.S. history.

It cost about $1.5 trillion over 5 years. Reagan & many of his advisers believed that

if the Soviets tried to match the U.S. buildup, it might put so much pressure on their economy they would be forced to either reform their system or collapse

MILITARY BUILDUP & “STAR WARS” Reagan’s military buildup drove the federal budget deficit increased military spending helped expand the economy

by providing jobs in defense industries. Reagan had hoped to offset the cost of the buildup by cutting other gov’t programs.

Reagan generally disagreed with the military strategy known as nuclear deterrence, sometimes called “mutual assured destruction.”

This strategy assumed that as long as the U.S. & USSR could destroy each other w/ nuclear weapons they would be afraid to use them

3/1983, Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) nicknamed “Star Wars,” called for the development of weapons

that could intercept and destroy incoming missiles.

https://screen.yahoo.com/president-reagan-mastermind-000000075.html

MEETING WITH GORBACHEV 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became

the leader of the USSR & agreed to resume arms control talks

Gorbachev believed that the USSR had to reform its economic system or it would soon collapse.

It could not afford a new arms race with the U.S.

Reagan & Gorbachev met in a series of summit meeting. The first of these were frustrating for both, as they disagreed on many issues.

Gorbachev promised to cut back Soviet nuclear forces if Reagan would agree to give up SDI, but Reagan refused.

INF TREATY 1987, Reagan was convinced that Gorbachev did

want to reform the USSR & end the arms race. In December 1987 the two leaders signed the

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty It was the first treaty to call for the destruction of the

nuclear weapons. No one realized it at the time, but the treaty marked

the beginning of the end of the Cold War. With an arms control deal in place, Gorbachev felt

confident that Soviet military spending could be reduced

He pushed ahead with economic & political reforms that eventually led to the collapse of communism in E’rn Europe & USSR

REAGAN AS POPULAR AS EVER

He delegated a great deal of authority to others & sometimes was unclear about policy decisions made in his name

A # of his aides & associates were charged & convicted of illegal & unethical actions

1989, when Reagan left office, 63% of the American people approved of his overall performance

PREPARE FOR QUIZ

TAKE OUT A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER

NUMBER 1-4

QUIZ

1. How much did the military buildup cost over 5 years?

2. What was nicknamed, “Star Wars?”3. Reagan was also concerned about

USSR influence in which 2 countries?4. Who was one of the chief figures of

the first treaty to call for the destruction of the nuclear weapons?