Sucess or Failure of Reagan Presidency

In preparation for this discussion activity, think about the policies pursued by President Reagan in dealing with the USSR and events leading to the end of the Cold War, confronting radicalism in Latin America, using covert operations, and handling crises in the Middle East. Also, consider the use of American military power in the Caribbean and Middle East.
Do you think that the Reagan presidency was a success or failure in terms of foreign affairs? How would you rate it, overall? Support your evaluation with evidence from your reading and logical argument.

Cold War II and the End of the Cold War
The foreign policy problems of the 1980s included the problems of the Cold War, especially confrontations over the challenges to communism in Eastern Europe, a renewed arms race, and the perceived spread of communism in Latin America and the Caribbean. We will look at the end of the Cold War under President George Bush. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration was enmeshed in a series of problems in the Middle East. Those problems got more complicated and led to the Gulf War under President Bush. We will examine the human rights issues in Iraq and see how the problems of the disintegration of Yugoslavia posed dilemmas for the next 2 administrations during the 1990s.
An important issue is why the Reagan presidency emphasized confrontation with the USSR, then changed to détente under Gorbachev. Détente was followed by the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, and then, under President George Bush, the collapse of communism in the USSR. President Reagan sought to balance a renewed arms race, a new defense strategy called SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative), with a search for a new Soviet-American arms agreement START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). American relations with the USSR improved with Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and progressed to détente between President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. During the presidency of George Bush, the Soviet leader did not stop the collapse of communist governments in Eastern Europe. The fall of the Iron Curtain was followed by the disintegration of the USSR—the end of the Cold War.

Learning & Assessment Activities
During this module you will:
Read:
• Required
o Module Notes: Cold War II and the End of the Cold War
o Chapters 16 and 17, pages 525-46, in the text, Crucible of Power
o Chapters 11-13 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and Conclusion (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. in the text, A Problem from Hell
View:
• Required
o Segments 57-67 of the video, Cold War (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [length = 20:12 minutes]
Discuss:
• M7D1: Success or Failure
• M7D2: Human Rights
Submit:
• M7A1: Project 2: Cuban Missile Crisis

In Latin America, President Reagan intervened in Grenada in 1983 and supported the Contras in Nicaragua because of his concern that Castro-inspired communism was spreading to the region. His successor mended fences with governments in Central America, but President Bush intervened in Panama in 1989 to oust dictator Manuel Noriega. Under both presidents, the United States remained willing to use covert operations and military force to oust governments considered unfriendly to the United States. Under President Reagan the United States confronted revolutionary movements in Central America and the Caribbean, which led to different forms of American intervention in civil wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua and to the invasion of Grenada.
The United States became heavily involved in the Middle East with failed attempts to broker new peace agreements between Israel and the Arabs. Arab terrorists attacked the American Marines in Lebanon in 1983, leading to American withdrawal in 1984. To free American hostages in Lebanon, the Reagan administration pursued the convoluted Iran-Contra affair. Reagan backed Iraq against Iran during their war, but President Bush reaction to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait resulted in an international coalition that ousted Iraq in the Gulf War of 1991.
Your readings in Power will raise questions about human rights in American policy toward the plight of the Kurds in Iraq in the 1980s and the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. The readings raise questions about the priorities of American foreign policy and the reluctance of the United States and its European allies to intervene to stop the carnage in former Yugoslavia, although, as a result of the Gulf War, the United States reversed policy and came to the aid of the Kurds.
After reading the texts, go to the discussion on successes and failures of the Reagan Administration.