Reagan Administration: Foreign Policy Chapter 28 Reagan Administration: Foreign Policy

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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.

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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

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QUIZ How much did the military buildup cost over 5 years? What was nicknamed, “Star Wars?” Reagan was also concerned about USSR influence in which 2 countries? Who was one of the chief figures of the first treaty to call for the destruction of the nuclear weapons?