Adapted from a work created by the University of Nebraska at Omaha Michael Quiñones

 Ronald Reagan: President,  George H.W. Bush: Vice-president,  Casper Weinberger: Secretary of Defense,

A more authoritative stance towards the U.S.S.R.  The Reagan administration placed competition and possibility of war with Soviet Union at the center of its defense & foreign policy.  Pursued large build-up of U.S military forces.  Took a more active stance towards combating Communist insurgencies.

Reagan Doctrine  Called for helping anti-Communist movements around the globe. Examples:  Nicaragua: aid for the contras (anti-Sandinista guerillas).  Afghanistan: aid for Mujahadeen tribesmen.  Angola: aid for UNITA

Increased defense spending  Military budgets increased for six straight years (FY ).  Reagan Administration spent about $2.4 trillion.  Defense budgets rose to $ billion annually.

Money spent on…  Maintenance, training, and compensation.  New weapons systems.  B-1 bomber  Trident II missile  MX missile  new ships

Strategic Defense Initiative  Announced March  a/k/a “Star Wars”  Sought to develop a system to destroy incoming missiles

Other effects…  : U.S. national debt doubled.  Debt service payments tripled.  Waste & fraud in defense procurement reaches alarming levels.  $400-$500 for a hammer?

Arms control: Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START)  U.S.-U.S.S.R. negotiations from  Almost produce an agreement during Reagan-Gorbachev meeting at Reykjavik, Iceland,  Summit fails on issue of SDI  START talks produce treaty in 1991

Reagan & NATO  U.S.: Gets allies to continue deployment of Pershing II & GLCM’s, and to spend more for defense.  Army and USAF get NATO to adopt “AirLand Battle” as common doctrine to for defeating a Warsaw Pact invasion.  Allies: push U.S. on negotiations to reduce theater nuclear and conventional forces.

December 1987: INF Treaty  U.S. & U.S.S.R. agreed to eliminate all their intermediate-range (300-3,400 mile) ground- launched ballistic and cruise missiles.  Included provisions for on-site inspections.  All such missiles and related equipment destroyed by May 1991.

U.S. involvement in Latin America  El Salvador: American aid and advisors sent to help the government  Fighting the Frente Martí Liberación Nacional (FMLN) since  Nicaragua: Began helping groups opposed to the Sandinista regime (contras).

October 1983: Grenada  Soldiers from U.S. and Caribbean nations invade.  Follows a coup  Concern about expanding Cuban and Soviet influence.  Anxiety regarding U.S. medical students.

Problems in the Middle East  Israel & Lebanon  Moammar Gaddafi & terrorism [Reagan launched missile strikes that killed Gaddafi’s adopted daughter at his palace]  The Persian Gulf

1982: Israel invades Lebanon  Goal to drive out Palestinian groups.  U.S. sent Marine expeditionary unit to help enforce a ceasefire.  October 23: truck bomb blows up the Marine barracks  220 soldiers die, 241 total.

Terrorist incidents on the rise  Attacks & hijackings double,  Led to 1,000 U.S. casualties  Most famous incident: 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro  After event, US Navy jets force down plane carrying hijackers to Tunisia.

1986: U.S.-Libyan tensions rise  Naval incidents.  West Berlin bombing tied to Gaddafi.  Reagan orders bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi.  Mostly military targets destroyed, 200 casualties.

Problems in the Persian Gulf  Iran: fundamentalist Islamic state, hostile to U.S. interests.  Funding terrorist movements.  Region large producer of oil.

: Iran-Iraq War  Iraq received more foreign assistance, including official U.S. aid.  Both sides attacked Gulf shipping.

U.S. looks to Saudi Arabia as a regional ally.  Saudis had influence over other Mid-East nations, and indirectly over Palestinians.  supported mujaheddin in Afghanistan  Spent money to buy American arms, and allowed U.S. to build bases on Saudi soil.

Attacks on Gulf shipping rise.  : U.S. Navy deploys to Gulf and Red Sea to protect tanker shipping.  Destroys Iranian gunboats and other vessels, missile sites, and attacks bases.  Iran responds with mine laying.  Worst U.S. goof: shooting down an Iranian airliner.

U.S.S. Stark  U.S. frigate fired upon by an Iraqi fighter.  Resulted in 37 deaths.

Second-term problems for the Reagan Administration  Budget and debt issues.  Congressional opposition.  Lax oversight of subordinates leads to political crisis.

Iran-Contra Affair  Administration officials arrange secret arms sales to Iran, some proceeds diverted to contras.  Hope to release hostages in Lebanon, influence Hezbollah.  Violated U.S. law that prohibited arms sales to the contras, and Administration’s own stated policy not to negotiate with terrorists.

Changes in the Soviet Union  Mikhail Gorbachev: General Secretary of the Communist Party,  Sought better relations with the West  Gorbachev pursued internal reforms: Perestroїka-was a domestic policy established to undermine internal Soviet corruption and provide transparency through a “new openness.” Glasnost-was the decentralization of the Soviet regime and is believed to have created resentment and led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Gorbachev: Foreign Policy Highlights  1986, meets with Reagan in Reykjavik, Iceland. Though fails in near term, ultimately leads to:  INF Treaty, 1987  START Treaty, 1991  1988, announces U.S.S.R.:  Will pull troops out of Afghanistan.  Will allow Eastern bloc countries to determine affairs.  Will unilaterally begin reducing conventional forces in Europe.

“Democracy” and Boris Yeltsin  Communist party moderate Boris Yeltsin became the first popularly elected president of Russia.  He expanded free market reforms started under Gorbachev and was even able to stave off a civil war in 1991 when the army refused to follow orders by groups opposed to democracy to overthrow Yeltsin.  Unfortunately in the 12 years after Yeltsin left office the nation has slid toward authoritarian rule once again.