Ronald Reagan Foreign Policy Analysis

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Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy was centered around the Soviet Union and the spread of communism worldwide. When Reagan entered the Presidency in 1981, he initiated a foreign policy strategy that was known as The Reagan Doctrine which followed the tradition of Presidents naming their own foreign policies after themselves (eg. Monroe Doctrine, Roosevelt Corollary, and Carter Doctrine). The main unifying objective of the Reagan Doctrine which was orchestrated by Reagan and his administration was to diminish the global power and influence the Soviet Union had on the world and to limit the reach of communism to other nations. When President Jimmy Carter left office, the Soviet Union had occupied Afghanistan a little over a year. During that time, …show more content…
And we must not break faith with those who are risking their lives—on every continent, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua—to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth." (Address prior to State of the Union Address February 6, 1985) This quote from Reagan simply summarized to emphasized the Reagan Doctrine in a manner that would sound diplomatically appropriate because what Reagan is bringing out is this idea that we must defend our allies and democracy and the rights of people worldwide which the Soviet cannot dispute or else it would blacken the Soviets’ image. Although he mentions the Soviet Union and its aggression, this statement does not defame the Soviets, instead it focuses and highlights the idea of defending our cherished ideals of freedom, democracy, and liberty. Advocates of the Reagan Doctrine included many conservative organizations and think tanks, and one noteworthy think tank was the Heritage Foundation which was a strong advocate of the doctrine and of Reagan …show more content…
Such advocates include but are not limited to Collin Powell, Caspar Weinberger, and Newt Gingrich. However, with supporters of The Reagan Doctrine comes those that opposed this Doctrine. One noteworthy group that was opposed to Reagan’s doctrine was the Cato Institute which was a libertarian oriented group. The Cato Institute argued that the initiative of the Reagan Doctrine does not effectively ensure America’s safety which in an article written by an author of the Cato Institute quotes, “Third, is the administration correct in its perception that the various insurgencies are animated by democratic, pro-Western, and anti-Soviet values? Fourth, can the United States assist these rebellions without risking either a direct clash with the USSR or a gradual escalation of commitments that may culminate in a disastrous military entanglement? Finally—and most important—is supporting anti-communist insurgencies in the Third World essential to American security?” (Ted Galen Carpenter June 24, 1986 "U.S. Aid to Anti-Communist Rebels: The "Reagan Doctrine" and Its Pitfalls." Cato
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