Assignment - The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy
Select a president from the table, "Presidents and Their ‘ Doctrines,'" in Roskin. Then write a 3 to 5 page paper on the doctrine that president used according to Roskin. Your research must include at least four (4) credible sources, apart from your textbook.
Your paper must address the following:
Summarize a situation that required U.S. diplomatic efforts during the president's time in office.
Explicate the diplomatic doctrine the president followed, with reference to specific actions or events that occurred.
Describe the effects of these diplomatic efforts for the U.S. and other countries.
Assess, in conclusion, the advantages and disadvantages of the particular doctrine that was followed.
Cite at least four (4) reputable sources in addition to the textbook, not including Wikipedia, encyclopedias, or dictionaries.
The Reagan Doctrine
In different periods of history, different presidential doctrines formulated by different U.S. Presidents, have acted as milestones in the realm of U.S. politics and U.S. foreign policy. Among such presidential doctrine the doctrine formulated and initiated by President Reagan should be considered as an important one because this doctrine of Reagan contributed a lot to the lessening of the Soviet supremacy during the Cold War era. It must be noted that even though the doctrine lasted less than a decade, it is still considered as a pivotal one which acted as a centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy that was implemented between the early 1980s and 1991 ("Reagan Doctrine", n.d.). The importance of the doctrine also lies in the fact that even today the consequences of the implementation of the Reagan Doctrine acts as a source of political debates because if on one hand the doctrine contributed to the weakening of the Soviet Union, then, on the other hand, the implementation of the doctrine paved the way for some long drawn conflicts which are still upsetting the domain of U.S. foreign policy.
Through the formulation and enactment of the doctrine President Reagan wanted to curb the power of the Soviets and it was through this doctrine that President Reagan opted to strengthen those nations that were seriously in opposition to the Soviet supported regimes. This presidential doctrine directly opposed the Soviet-instigated communism and it directly proposed "American moral and material support for insurgent movements attempting to oust Soviet-backed regimes in various Third World nations" (Carpenter, 1986). It was a doctrine which, precisely in an indirect manner, paved the way for the U.S. funding of those groups that were rebelling against communism, and according to the Reagan Doctrine the members of these groups were freedom fighters who were trying to free their nations from the clutches of the Soviet instigated communism. As a matter of fact, "this policy translated into covertly supporting the Contras in their attacks on the leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua; the Afghan rebels in their fight against the Soviet occupiers; and anticommunist Angolan forces embroiled in that nation'scivil war" ("Feb 6, 1985: The "Reagan Doctrine" is announced", n.d.).
If one tries to analyze the development of the Reagan Doctrine then he/she is surely going to find that the doctrine came into being as a refutation of the policy of containment by the U.S. presidents before Reagan. The policy of containment proved to be an utter failure because despite of the implementation of the policy the aggressive approaches of the Soviet Union could not be contained. Reagan had a thorough knowledge about the tension that was gradually building between Soviet leaders and their U.S. counterparts, and during his election he justifiably wanted to focus on the issue, and after getting elected as the President, the solution to the Soviet problem became a major area of concern for Reagan.
Moreover, the initiation and wide implementation of the Reagan Doctrine was also instigated by the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet armies in 1979 and it was due to this invasion that, apart from enacting embargoes on the Soviet Union, the U.S. think tank became inclined towards restricting the spread of communism through a stringent foreign policy. And the result of such inclination was the Reagan Doctrine. Leaders from both the nations met in New York to minimize the ongoing tension on September 25, 1980 ("United States Relations with Russia Timeline: The Cold War", 2009), but the aftermath of the discussion proved to be a failure in respect of putting checks and balanced on the aggressive policies embraced by the Soviet Union.
So, it can be said that keeping in mind the need of restricting the spread of Soviet-instigated communism in different parts of world, the Reagan Doctrine came into being. But even though, to some extent, the doctrine was proved to be successful in putting an end to the Cold War and bringing about the demise of the Soviet Union, its implementation opened the door for the incoming of some major problems which still now are diseasing the sphere of U.S. foreign policy and the foreign policies of different other concerned nations. Primarily, it can be said that the formulation and implementation of the Reagan Doctrine exposed the wrongs in the approaches of the U.S. administration towards the problems of other nations.
In the post-Reagan period the support of the U.S. administration to the Contras became a disturbing issue. It must be noted that the implementation of the doctrine embossed a black spot on the political realm of the U.S. administration because it was later on revealed that President Reagan "permitted the sale of arms to Iran, with profits diverted to the contras. The arms sale and transfer of funds to the contras were handled surreptitiously through the CIA intelligence network, apparently with the full support of CIA Director William Casey. Exposure of the Iran-Contra affair in late 1986 provoked a major congressional investigation" ("The Reagan Doctrine", n.d.). But it was not only the probe into the matter which fueled the scandal, the consequence of such involvement of the U.S. administration did also pave the way for the continuation of the Iran-Iraq problem even today.
Moreover, the policy of funding and supporting the Afghan rebels against the Soviet occupancy in Afghanistan eventually paved the way for the emergence of terrorist groups which today are functioning against the wellbeing of the United States. Hence, it can be seen that the implementation of the doctrine initiated some major problems which are still now persisting. But said that it must also be noted that, it was due to the formulation and implementation of the doctrine that Nicaragua got its freedom from the clutches of the Soviet-supported regime and it must also be noted that the implementation of the doctrine eventually put an end to the Cold War through motivating Gorbachev to come to terms with his U.S. counterpart (Farnham, 2001).
In conclusion, the Reagan Doctrine is still considered as an important political strategy in the sphere of U.S. politics, and the importance of the doctrine also lies in the fact that even today the consequences of the implementation of the Reagan Doctrine acts as a source of political debates because if on one hand the doctrine contributed to the weakening of the Soviet Union, then, on the other hand, the implementation of the doctrine paved the way for some long drawn conflicts which are still upsetting the domain of U.S. foreign policy.
(1,080 words)
References
Carpenter, T.G. (1986). U.S. Aid to Anti-Communist Rebels: The "Reagan Doctrine" and Its Pitfalls. Cato Policy Analysis No. 74.
Farnham, B. (2001). Reagan and the Gorbachev Revolution: Perceiving the End of Threat. The Eighties Club.
Feb 6, 1985: The "Reagan Doctrine" is announced (n.d.). Cold War.
Reagan Doctrine (n.d.).
The Reagan Doctrine (n.d.).
United States Relation with Russia: The Cold War (n.d.). U.S. Department of State.