1. Foreign Policy and Cold War Lecture Guide
Reagan Revolution
Foreign Policy and Cold War
Lecture Guide

2. Reagan’s harsh rhetoric
US concerned about Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Providing weapons and training to Afghani rebels
New round of arms race
American could bear the burden of the expense while the Soviets couldn’t (Economically)
Oct Reagan seemed to endorse the concept that US might fight the Soviets in a “limited” nuclear war on European soil

3. The “Evil Empire”
Soviets blew from the sky a Korean airliner carrying hundreds of Americans
By 1983, all arms control negotiations were off.
“Evil Empire” speech-called the USSR “the focus of evil in the modern world”
Justified military build-up as necessary

4. Strategic Defense Initiative “Star Wars”
March 1983-Reagan announced his intention to pursue a high technology missile defense system
Orbiting battle stations in space that could fire laser beams
Reagan claimed SDI offered a nuclear umbrella over American cities.
Most scientists viewed SDI as impossible
Cause of much ridicule in the science community
Reagan sought to SDI to scare Soviets

5. NUTS v. MAD
Nuclear Utilization Theory (NUTs) advocated the winning of a nuclear war.
Reagan’s staff drew up estimates of “reasonable losses” in event of nuclear war (40%)
Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) had assured a “balance of terror” for 4 decades
Movies portrayed post nuclear holocaust as theme
The “Terminator”
“Mad Max’
“Blade Runner”
“The Day After”

6. Middle East
Lebanon-Reagan sent Marines to Lebanon in 1983 as part of an international peace keeping force after Israeli attacks against Palestinian strongholds in Lebanon caused chaos.
Oct 1983, a suicide bomber crashed his truck into US Marines barracks killing 241 Marines
Reagan pulled troops out

7. Bombing of Libya
Reagan ordered the bombing of Libya in 1986 for an alleged Libyan sponsored bombing in West Berlin killing US serviceman
Col. Mommar Qaddafi had long been a sponsor of terrorism
He said he was sorry, became our friend
Now he’s not. US supports Libyans in coup against him.

8. Iran-Iraq War
US backed the Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein as Iran and US resumed their poor relations with Iran
Hostage crisis.
Now he’s our enemy, well now he’s gone.

9. Latin America Nicaragua
“Sandinistas” were a socialist revolutionaries who made practice condemning capitalism and US policies in Latin America; supported by Cuba
Reagan accused Sandinistas of turning their country into forward base for Soviet and Cuban military penetration of all of Central America
Reagan sent covert aid including CIA-led mining of harbors to the “contra” rebels opposing the anti US government in Nicaragua
Iran-Contra Scandal*

10. Latin American continued…
El Salvador-Reagan sent military advisors to prop up pro US (anti-communist) government and gave 5 Billion in aid
“Death Squads” eliminated thousands of opposition
Grenada-Reagan sends 6000 troops to this tiny island where a military coup had killed the prime minister and brought a Marxist regime to power

11. Reagan’s Bluff
Reagan’s dramatic increase in defense spending placed enormous pressures on the Soviet economy
Gorbachev (1985) tried to reform the Soviet system rather than outcompete the US.
Perestroika
Glasnost
Release tight control of Eastern Bloc states such as Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and…

12. Poland
In 1982,“Solidarity” movement in Poland sought reforms but was intimidated by Soviets to restore order
Reagan imposed economic sanctions on Poland and Russia (except grain)
Pope John Paul-1st non-Italian pope…from Poland. Spoke openly about the need for Polish solidarity.