Ronald Reagan Foreign Policy

 Back to 1950’s Cold War approach  More “hard line”  Renewed arms race  Goal: outspend Soviet Union into bankruptcy  Reagan Doctrine . Aid anti-communist movements in Africa, Asia and Latin-America DETENTE REALPOLITIK HUMAN REPLACED RIGHTS WITH WHAT How does Reagan label the Soviet Union?

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EVIL

EMPIRE  Strategic Defense Initiative  Became known as . . .  U.S.: missile defense system  SDI system would shoot down Soviet missiles with lasers  System effectiveness: 50%  Cost: $1.5 trillion  Congress refused Lebanon Grenada Nicaragua Iran-Iraq War  1982 – U.S. sent peacekeeping force  Lebanese government asked for help between Muslims and Christians  Muslims viewed U.S. as enemies and frequently attacked  October 23, 1983: large truck (2,500 pounds of TNT) crashed through gate of Marine Headquarters  Islamic Jihadists  241 US Army, Marine & Navy servicemen killed  81 wounded  Attacks by Hezbollah with Syrian intelligence and Iranian financing  U.S. choice: . Stay and fight . Leave peacekeeping role  U.S. forces left in 1984  Grenada: small Caribbean island off coast of Venezuela  Grenada: 132 square miles . Deschutes County: 3055 sq. mi. . Redmond School District: 556 sq. mi. . city of Bend: 32.2 sq. mi. . city of Redmond: 10.2 sq. mi.  Major threat to United States?  Communist leaning group overthrew government  Reagan: new government forging ties to Cuba  Had medical college  Became one justification for invasion  2000 U.S. troops sent  18 died in invasion  Reagan: necessary for U.S. security  Day after Beirut bombing  Most nations criticized U.S.  Since 1930’s Nicaragua ruled by Somoza family  Anastasio Somoza by 1970’s  Pro-American, treated own people poorly  1979: thrown out  Sandinistas (communist) in power  Daniel Ortega leader  Reagan feared Latin American “domino theory”  Opposition known as Contras  Reagan wanted to support Contras  Contras in El Salvador  Congress refused funding for Contras  What should Reagan do?  IRAN . Ancient enemy of Iraq . Weakened by overthrow of Shah/Islamic revolution . Oil reserves  IRAQ . Looking to take advantage . Saddam Hussein wants territory and oil  Iraq invades (1980)  Publically, U.S. supports Iraq . Send weapons . Angry with Iran  Other hostages being held in Lebanon  Iran offers to get hostages out in exchange for weapons  Arms embargo since 1979  What should Reagan do?  War ends (1988)  No territorial changes  Nearly bankrupts Iraq  What will Saddam do? But wait . . . Instability in leadership Can they keep up?  Leonid Brezhnev  Born: December 6, 1906  Becomes head of Communist Party 1964  Dies November 10, 1982  Yuri Andropov  Born: January 15, 1914  Becomes head of Communist Party November 10, 1982  Dies February 9, 1984  Konstantin Chernenko  Born: September 24, 1911  Becomes head of Communist Party February 9, 1984  Dies March 10, 1985  Mikhail Gorbachev  Born: March 2, 1931  Becomes head of Communist Party March 10, 1985  What is different about Gorbachev?  Gorbachev and Reagan met (first time)  October 11, 1986  Gorbachev wants peace  How is attitude different from past Soviet leaders?  Agreed to remove missile systems from Europe  Agreed to eliminate nuclear weapons (10 years)  Gorbachev: no Star Wars (SDI)  Reagan won’t do it  Almost broke down summit  Beginning of end of Cold War  Reagan’s comments: . http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=WjWDrTXMgF8  A Time-lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945  Rocky IV (1985) . Training . Final Fight Scene . Post fight speech  Miracle (2004) . Coach Brooks' speech . Final minute . Miracle on Ice