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Reagan: Foreign Policy

Reagan: Foreign Policy. I. Rejecting Carter. Carter: Vowed to reduce Cold War (cut military, slow arms race)& pay attention to 3 rd World concern (no Vietnams) while curbing revolutionary nationalism: “Preventive Diplomacy” Administration divided on foreign policy

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Reagan: Foreign Policy

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  1. Reagan: Foreign Policy

  2. I. Rejecting Carter • Carter: Vowed to reduce Cold War (cut military, slow arms race)& pay attention to 3rd World concern (no Vietnams) while curbing revolutionary nationalism: “Preventive Diplomacy” • Administration divided on foreign policy • Sec’y State Cyrus Vance push use of diplomacy, but Brzezinski (NSA) + hawks (Committee on the Present Danger, etc.) win over time w/ rigid Cold War perspective • SALT II (1979) attempt reduce tension • Détente deteriorates + Cold War deepens: human rights push + Jackson-Vanik Amendment (1974) + military buildup (to build domestic support for SALT II) + invasion Afghanistan (1979) •  Carter Doctrine: unilateral intervention defend Middle East • Camp David Accords (1978): Israeli-Egyptian peace

  3. Panama Canal Treaties (1978) • Limited diplomatic relations Cuba (but 1980 Mariel incident) • Evaluation: • 1) More troops abroad • 2) Inconsistent on human rights (pressure on some—USSR, Argentina, Chile—but not allies—South Korea, Iran, Philippines) • 3) Successes in Middle East, Africa, Latin America • 4) Did not restore economic + political hegemony sets stage for hawkish Reagan

  4. II. Winning the Cold War • Best case: new rhetoric of “evil empire” (belief Soviets could be defeated rather than just contained, reject détente + Realpolitik + 40 years of entrenched bureaucracy) and building up military collapse Soviet Union • Worst case: dealt with the devil (Iran, Nicaragua, Bin Laden, Saddam, South Africa) and escalated tensions (Grenada) pointlessly + did harm (massive deficits) • Most likely: refusal to negotiate + build up accelerated collapse of Soviets but in such a way that caused post-Cold War instability • Or, both lost, US lost less • “imperial overreach”; sphere ally unrest; rise of 3rd world; anti-nuclearism

  5. Iran-Contra Scandal

  6. Why not Reagan? • Worse than Watergate? • The scandal involved serious legal, constitutional, and moral “improprieties” much greater than the Watergate break in • When scandal first broke out, a majority of Americans called for Reagan’s impeachment • Why did Reagan survive when Nixon had fallen?

  7. I. The Contra End A. Support for Somoza Brutal dynasty of dictators who came to power in Nicaragua in 1934 Pro-US Anastasio Somoza

  8. B. The Sandinistas • 1961: Sandinista National Liberation Front formed (FSLN) • Communist/nationalist • Led by Daniel Ortega Ortega

  9. 1978: US suspends military aid to Somoza regime • 1979: FSLN overthrows Somoza and sets up communist regime (nationalize, redistribute land, etc.)

  10. Carter: fait accompli Rejected request for $75 million in aid (disliked revolutionaries) Moderate regime but no action Reagan: 2nd Cuba Kill the bastards C. American Reaction

  11. D. Bay of Pigs Redux • Reagan orders CIA Director William Casey to plan overthrow

  12. Casey: create and fund (1981: $19 million) counterrevolutionaries Contras • Started small (about 500) but grew (several thousand)

  13. Contras’ small numbers guerilla tactics, assassination, terror • Murdered villagers, nuns • US secretly mined Nicaragua’s harbors World Court rules US in violation international law • Reagan justified support by comparing the Contras to the American Revolutionaries

  14. Increasingly angry, in 1984 Congress prohibits funding to Contras: • Boland Amendment to an appropriations bill • Reagan signed the bill: public, press, Congress believe that US out of Nicaragua • Election year polls showed majority opposition to Reagan’s Latin American policies

  15. E. Ollie North • Reagan decides to secretly evade/break the law • But how to get the money? • Casey delegates to NSC staffer Oliver North

  16. Tactics • Wealthy individuals: “charitable” gifts to Contras • State Department approaches foreign countries for $ aid • Contras sell drugs in US for $ (with CIA assistance?)

  17. Problems • Illegal for administration to promise something for the $ (quid pro quo) • Upsets Constitutional system of checks and balances • Contras still unable to win major military victory

  18. Solution • North combines Contra operation with “The Enterprise”: Iran

  19. II. Iran End A. Anti-Terrorism? • Reagan publicly a hard-line anti-terrorist • Privately a soft touch (met with families) • 1979: Iranian Revolution American embassy hostages (50+) • Released when Reagan was inaugurated and US unfroze Iranian $ in US • Not connected (?)

  20. Iran supported anti-US terrorism • Lebanese kidnappings of American Zionists • 1985: Reagan meets with family visibly shakenobsessed with hostages

  21. National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane approached by Iranian businessman Manucher Ghorbanifar: • Arms for hostages

  22. Problems • Illegal: Congress had passed law against arms sales to Iran • Went against Reagan’s public policy • Major advisors spoke out against it  Do it anyways McFarlane goes to North

  23. B. One Simple Deal • Supposed to be one (1) simple deal: sell weapons (30% markup) for hostages • Iranians up ante: 2 plane loads rather than 1, 1 hostage rather than all 7

  24. Despite failure continue to try (120 for 5) • Continued failure: McFarlane decides to call it off but resigns John Poindexter appointed • ON convinces JP to continue: combine the deals

  25. III. Diversion of Funds • North: profits from arms sales Contras • Problem: unelected bureaucrat funding illegal activity with illegal funds (“Shadow government”) • North deals 2 more times • At end of arms trade there were MORE hostages in Lebanon • The exact reason Bush refuses to deal w/Iraqi kidnappers today

  26. October 1986: Contra end exposed— • Sandinistas shot down American plane carrying arms and soldiers why were they there? • North starts shredding

  27. Four weeks later Iranian government leaks story to Mid East paper to embarrass Reagan • North shreds faster

  28. Senate held hearings to investigate scandal

  29. North, Poindexter, and Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and others convicted of perjury and contempt of Congress • Eventually overturned in court based on the 5th Amendment • George H.W. Bush pardoned the others • [Not the only scandal: 138 Administration officials were indicted or convicted; more than any other Presidency in US history]

  30. Saturday Night Live: Reagan Mastermind

  31. IV. Comparison to Watergate • Belief that loss of liberty abroad loss of liberty at home • Contempt of Congress • Minority Report: Dick Cheney (R-WY)—Reagan did nothing wrong: Congress had no right to pass laws restricting foreign policy (violates Art II unitary executive), therefore the laws were unconstitutional (on Pres’ say so) • No court has ever upheld this interpretation of the Constitution • Reagan’s guys destroyed the evidence • Iran-Contra substantially worse • Revelations help lead to greater support for Saddam Hussein, 1st Gulf War, and 9-11

  32. The Teflon President • Reagan saved by the fact that there was no smoking gun • Either didn’t exist or was destroyed • Subordinates go on: North runs for Congress, works for FOX News, Poindexter and TIA, Bush President • Presidential Records

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