Human Rights

To prepare for this discussion activity, read the assigned chapters in A Problem from Hell and, while doing so, think about the reasons the United States quietly sided with Iraq against Iran and the impact that had on American concern for human rights issues during the Iraqi campaign against the Kurds. Also, consider the problems created by the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and the responses of the European nations, the international community, and the United States.
In your first post, consider the human rights issues raised by Power regarding Iraq in the 1980s and in Bosnia in the 1990s. Given what you have read, do you think that the United States should have pursued these policies, or should the United States have done anything differently? If so, why? You may also want to comment about why the United States and its European allies were reluctant to intervene in the crisis in former Yugoslavia.
You are free either to agree with the criticisms of American policy by Power or you can defend the actions taken. Part of your analysis should focus on what you consider the most important goals of American foreign policy in the 2 crises in Iraq and Bosnia.

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.