Question

What was president reagan's approach to foreign policy?

Answer 1

President Ronald Reagan's approach to foreign policy was marked by an increase in defense spending and a focus on anti-Communist measures, known as the Reagan Doctrine. He built up American military strength, negotiated nuclear arms reduction with the USSR, and supported anti-Communist insurgencies globally. Reagan's policies, including interventions in Latin America, were influential in the broader context of the Cold War.

Step-by-step explanation:

President Ronald Reagan's foreign policy was characterized by the strategy of "peace through strength." He significantly increased defense spending by 35 percent with the aim of strengthening the United States' military capabilities. Reagan, a staunch anti-Communist, initiated talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, leading to the signing of a treaty to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. He also took an active stance against international terrorism, exemplified by the bombing of Libya in response to attacks on American personnel.

The Reagan Doctrine was a central element of his foreign policy, supporting anti-Communist insurgent groups around the world with military aid and intelligence. This approach allowed the U.S. to combat Communism without large-scale troop deployments, thereby avoiding the direct military entanglements of past conflicts such as Korea and Vietnam. The support extended to various groups in Central America, Asia, and Africa mirrored his belief in opposing Communist expansion globally.

In Latin America, Reagan's policies took a firm stance against leftist governments, with direct military intervention in Grenada and continued support for right-wing regimes and paramilitary groups. His administration's covert arms sales to Iran, intended to fund Nicaraguan Contras, resulted in a significant scandal known as the Iran-Contra Affair. Despite such controversies, the Reagan era is often credited with contributing to the thawing of the Cold War and a shift towards more peaceful global relations, particularly in relation to the Soviet Union.

Answer 2

The foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration was the foreign policy of the United States from 1981 to 1989. The main goal was winning the Cold War and the rollback of Communism—which was achieved in Eastern Europe in 1989 and in the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, though most disagree with whom to credit, and how much.[1] It was characterized by a strategy of "peace through strength" and an escalation of Cold War tensions 1981-84, followed by a warming of relations with the Soviet Union, 1981-89.