Ronald Reagan Reagans View of the USSR Speech

Ronald Reagan

Reagan’s View of the USSR Speech to National Association of Evangelicals: “Evil Empire” speech, March 10, 1983

Realist Secretaries of State Alexander Haig 1981 -1982 George Shultz 1982 -1989

The Problems 1. 2. 3. Third Wave of Marxism Viet Nam Syndrome Decade of Neglect

1. Third Wave of Marxism n n Cambodia, Viet Nam Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique Afghanistan Nicaragua and leftist revolution in El Salvador

Third Wave of Marxism

Solution to Third Wave: Reagan Doctrine Nicaragua Contras

Afghanistan Mujahadin

Angola n UNITA’s Jonas Savimbi

2. Viet Nam Syndrome n Fall of Saigon, April 29, 1975

Solution to Viet Nam Syndrome: Use Force n Libya 1981

Grenada 1983

Beirut 1983

3. Decade of Neglect From: ARMING AMERICA: Attention and Inertia in U. S. National Security Spending http: //dept. lamar. edu/polisci/TRUE/True_art_tlp. html

Soviet ICBMs 1980 s-90 s n From, US Dept of Defense, Soviet Military Power, 1987: http: //www. fas. org/irp/dia/product/smp_87_ch 2. htm

Solution to Decade of Neglect n Source: Center for Defense Information 2004 Yearbook (http: //www. mtholyoke. edu/~jephrean/classweb/United%20 State s. html)

Strategic Defense Initiative Reagan’s SDI speech, March 23, 1983 From: http: //www. milnet. com/pentagon/spacecom/sdi. gif

Political/Cultural Effects

Case Study of Reagan Doctrine Nicaragua

Revolution in Nicaragua Anastasio Somoza Pres. of Nicaragua n n Daniel Ortega, leader of the Sandinistas

Contras

Key Phrase of 2 nd Boland Amendment: (1984 -1986) n ''No funds available to the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense or any other agency or entity of the United States involved in intelligence activities may be obligated or expended for the purpose or which would have the effect of supporting, directly or indirectly, military or paramilitary operations in Nicaragua by any nation, group, organization, movement or individual. '‘ From: NY TIMES on line: http: //www. nytimes. com/1987/07/16/world/iran-contra-hearings -text-of-key-amendment. html? pagewanted=1; For Excerpts and explanation, from US Government Accountability Office – GAO, http: //redbook. gao. gov/14/fl 0067296. php

Contra Scandal Private US $ Foreign Gov’t $ Contras Swiss bank accounts; controlled by Oliver North of NSC Staff

Some Congressional Restrictions on Arms Sales in 1980 s Arms Export Control Acts n n No arms sales to nations determined to be sponsors of terrorism (US State Dept determines which nations fit into this category; it included Iran) No arms sales of over $25 m in value without congressional approval (1974); A 1976 bill lowered this to $14 m for sophisticated weaponry and $50 m for other items • Both the House and Senate would have to reject the arms sales

The Iran Contra Scandal Private US $ Foreign Gov’t $ Contras Swiss bank accounts; controlled by North $$$ Iran Hostages weapons Israel US weapons

The Fight Over the Contras William Casey Adm. John Poindexter Lt. Col. Oliver North

Big Picture Issue n n n Congress has the power to restrict US government spending Can the President ignore those restrictions? Can President ignore aspects of law President does not agree with? If so, does Congress have any role to shape foreign policy? If so, do we have checks and balances?

The End of the Cold War Leonid Yuri Konstantin Brezhnev Andropov Chernenko 1964 -1982 -1984 -1985

New Soviet Leadership General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze

Gorbachev’s New Thinking n n n Perestroika: Restructuring Glasnost: Openness Foreign Policy • 1987: Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty • 1990: Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty • 1991: Strategic Arms reduction Treaty (START) Treaty

Berlin Wall 1989

The USSR “Empire”

August 1991 and the Fall of USSR Boris Yeltsin

Why did the USSR collapse? Why did the Cold War end?