Reagan and Foreign Affairs

One of the major reasons Ronald Reagan was elected president was that voters were dismayed over what they saw as the tarnishing of America's image abroad under Jimmy Carter. Reagan seemingly justified this vote by making American's proud again and apparently winning the cold war single-handedly.

However, his foreign policy record is not nearly so cut-and-dry (including on the last-measure)

1. Reagan refused to endorse full sanctions against the apartheid-government of South Africa despite overwhelming global pressure, the actions of most other developed nations, and the pleas of the oppressed majority in South Africa (including Archbishop Desmond Tutu) source
2. The Iran-contra affair saw the US use the proceeds from weapons sales to Iran to finance brutal dictatorships in Latin America (particularly the Contras in Nicaragua who massacred many). The US was found guilty by the Hague of war crimes and although Reagan himself was never tried, eleven members of his staff were convicted. source
3. On the issue of ending the Cold War, it's much harder to criticize Reagan's policies largely because the Soviet Union collapsed shortly after he left office. There is evidence that Reagan's massive build up of weaponry pushed the Soviets into bankruptcy as they were unable to keep pace. However, there is also evidence that Reagan was unaware of this and that his buildup of arms was merely saber-rattling and he was prepared to engage in full fledged warfare. Additionally, most modern Russian historians seem to suggest that the Soviet Union was economically and politically unstable due to endogenous causes (ie it was bound to collapse on it's own sooner or later but Reagan's antagonistic policies may have speed the process up). In the end, the main problem I see with Reagan's cold war legacy is that it legitimizes the shoot first, ask questions later approach latter pursued by George W. Bush and beacuse it justifies massive military expenditures at the cost of social projects and budgetary balances

Obviously the last part is based a lot on personal observations and my own analysis so it is hardly academically unassailable but I believe the general picture painted by these three story-lines and others cast doubt upon the exemplary foreign policy record of Reagan. If any one President deserves the most credit for 'winning' the Cold War it should be George Bush Sr.