Mr. White

1
Foreign Policy After the Cold War

• Mr. Whites US History 2

2
Main Idea and Objectives

• Main Idea The end of the Cold War, marked by the
  breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, led to a
  redirection of many U.S. goals and policies.
• After this section, we should be able to
• Identify changes in the communist world that
  ended the Cold War
• Summarize U.S. actions taken to influence Central
  American and Caribbean affairs
• Describe the events leading up to the Iran-Contra
  scandal
• Analyze U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War

3
Part I The cold War Ends

• The Soviet Union collapsed, and many other
  communist regimes declined.

4
Mikhail Gorbachev

• In March of 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the
  general secretary of the Communist Party in the
  Soviet Union
• Gorbachev inherited a Soviet economy that was
  struggling to keep up with the United States
• Reagan had increased defense spending to put a
  further strain that the Soviets couldnt keep up
  with
• Economy was close to collapse

5
Glasnost

• Gorbachev adopted a policy of glasnost (Russian
  for openness)
• Allowed open criticisms of the Soviet government,
  worked to give freedom of the press
• Gorbachev also introduced perestroika, his plan
  for restructuring Soviet society
• Less government control of the economy, more
  private enterprise, steps toward democracy
• Gorbachev also realized that better relations
  with the U.S. would allow Soviet Union to reduce
  military expenses
• INF Treaty (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces
  Treaty) signed on December 8, 1987 eliminated
  two classes of nuclear weapons and allowed both
  sides to make on-site inspections of each others
  nuclear facilities

6
The Soviet Union Collapses

• The reforms that Gorbachev had introduced
  encouraged nationalism and independence movements
  in the non-Russian Soviet states
• In December, 1991, 14 non-Russian republics
  declared independence from the Soviet Union
• Criticized by reformers who thought he was
  working too slowly, Gorbachev resigned as Soviet
  president
• The Soviet Union dissolved, almost overnight

7
The Commonwealth of Independent States

• Many of the nations that had been a part of the
  Soviet Union formed the Commonwealth of
  Independent States
• This was a loose collection of nations that would
  share certain interests like economics, politics,
  and security
• Russias new president, Boris Yeltsin, soon
  signed the START II Treaty with President George
  H. W. Bush
• This treaty was designed to cut both nations
  nuclear arsenals by two-thirds

8
The Berlin Wall

• Before he resigned, Gorbachev had encouraged the
  people of East Germany and Eastern Europe to go
  their own ways
• He reduced the number of Soviet troops in Eastern
  Europe, and allowed non-communist parties to
  organize in Soviet satellite nations, such as
  Poland and East Germany
• At the Berlin Wall in 1987, President Reagan had
  encouraged Gorbachev to, tear down this wall.

9
Germany Re-unified

• In October, 1989, East Germany gave up its
  communist government
• November 9, 1989 East Germany opened the Berlin
  Wall, re-uniting the eastern and western parts of
  the city
• In early 1990, East Germany held its first free
  elections
• October 3, 1990 East and West Germany reunited
  into the nation of Germany

10
New Reforms, New Issues

• Other European nations also adopted new reforms
• Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania declared their
  independence from the Soviet Union
• Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania gave up communism
• Yugoslavia collapsed four of its republics
  seceded
• Ethnic rivalries took over in a war between
  Muslims, Orthodox Serbs, and Roman Catholic
  Croats each claimed part of Yugoslavia

11
Chinese Reform

• Economic reform had also begun in in China, which
  was still communist
• China loosened its grip on business and
  eliminated some price controls
• Free-market reforms when command economies
  introduce measures to bring freedom to the market
• Chinese students began to demand more freedoms
  with this growing economic freedom

12
Student Protests

• April, 1989 Chinese university students led
  marches that quickly grew into large
  demonstrations in Beijings Tiananmen Square and
  other cities
• In Tiananmen Square, students constructed a
  replica of the Statue of Liberty to symbolize
  their struggle for democracy
• Chinas premier, Li Peng, had the military crush
  the protesters

13
Tiananmen Square

• Chinas army stormed into the square and fired
  into the crowds, killing many unarmed students
• Some civilians had earlier had attacked soldiers
  in armored-personnel carriers and tanks
• While the protest was ended, some Chinese
  officials and civilians believed that this event
  made many people lose faith in the government

14
Part II Central American and Caribbean Policy

• The United States used its economic, political,
  and military power to intervene and influence
  nations in Central America and the Caribbean.

15
Nicaragua

• The U.S. had been in Nicaragua since 1912
  helped the dictator Anastasio Somoza come to
  power
• The Somozas ruled Nicaragua for 42 years
• Rigged elections
• Assassinated political rivals
• Between 1977 and 1979, Nicaragua underwent a
  civil war between the Somoza government and
  Sandinista rebels who opposed the government

16
Reagan Supports the Contras

• The Sandinistas toppled the government
• Jimmy Carter recognized the new government and
  sent economic aid
• The Soviet Union and Cuba sent aid, as well
• When Reagan took power, he charged that Nicaragua
  was a Soviet satellite, and that it was
  exporting revolution to other Central American
  countries
• Threw his support behind guerilla forces opposing
  the Sandinistas known as Contras
• Military aid and CIA advisers were sent to the
  Contras, without Congressional approval
• Congress responded by banning any military aid to
  the Contras, but Reagans administration found
  ways around this
• Free elections in 1990 elected Violeta de
  Chamorro, a Contra supporter, but his coalition
  wasnt able to solve the problems of Nicaragua

17
Grenada

• In Grenada, an island near Cuba, the government
  was developing ties to communist Cuba
• Ronald Reagan sent around 2,000 U.S. troops to
  the island in 1983
• The troops overthrew the pro-Cuban government and
  replaced it with one friendlier to the U.S.
• Eighteen U.S. soldiers died, but Reagan defended
  this as important to the interests of the United
  States

18
Panama

• In 1989, President Bush sent around 20,000 U.S.
  troops into Panama to apprehend General Manuel
  Noriega
• Noriega had been receiving money from the CIA, as
  he opposed communist governments, but was also
  involved in the international drug trade
• Noriega was brought to the United States to stand
  trial, and was sentence to 40 years in prison
• Some Latin American governments criticized this
  Yankee imperialism, but many were happy that
  Noriega had been removed from power

19
Part III Middle East Trouble Spots

• As the Cold War ended, the United States began to
  shift its political attention to the Middle East.

20
Hostages

• In 1983, terrorist groups loyal to Iran took
  Americans hostage in Lebanon
• Reagan denounced Iran and urged U.S. allies not
  to sell arms to Iran (which was at war with Iraq)
• 1985 America will never make concessions to
  terrorists.

21
Iran-Contra Affair

• Later, however, Americans learned
• Reagan had approved the sale of weapons to Iran
  in return, Iran promised to get seven American
  hostages released in Lebanon
• Members of Reagans staff had sent profits from
  the weapons sales to the Contras in Nicaragua,
  which was in violation of the Boland Amendment,
  which made this against the law
• Reagan defended his actions as necessary, and was
  shocked at the negative reaction
• Reagan administration staff members went on
  trial, and many, such as Lieutenant General
  Oliver North, received penalties for their roles

22
Iran and Iraq

• During the 1980s, Iran and Iraq had fought a long
  war
• Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had huge war debts
• Hussein had often claimed that Kuwait was
  actually part of Iraq
• August 2, 1990 Iraqi troops invaded a disputed
  area claimed by Kuwait, then turned toward Saudi
  Arabia and its oil fields
• If Iraq took Saudi Arabia, it would control
  one-half of the worlds known oil reserves

23
Operation Desert Storm

• For several months, President Bush and Secretary
  of State James Baker organized an international
  coalition against Iraqi aggression
• With the support of the United Nations and
  Congress, Bush launched Operation Desert Storm to
  liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation
• January 16, 1991 U.S. launched a massive air
  assault against Iraq
• February 23, 1991 Coalition forces launched a
  ground offensive from Saudi Arabia into Kuwait
• February 28, 1991 Cease-fire was announced
• Kuwait had been liberated from Iraqi occupation

24
Victory

• Americans turned out in large numbers for the
  victory parades that followed this successful war
• This war had a different outcome from the U.S.s
  last major war, Vietnam
• Only 400 coalition force casualties
• Iraq suffered an estimated 100,000 military and
  civilian deaths
• A trade embargo following the war resulted in the
  deaths of many Iraqis from preventable diseases
  such as cholera, typhoid, and others

25
Election of 1992

• Although Bush was very successful on the
  international stage, he was not as successful at
  home
• Rising government deficits and a recession
  starting in 1990 made re-election difficult
• Bush raised taxes, and broke his original
  campaign pledge of no new taxes.
• The weak economy, plus the tax hike, made Bushs
  re-election very difficult

26
Main Idea and Objectives

• Main Idea The end of the Cold War, marked by the
  breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, led to a
  redirection of many U.S. goals and policies.
• After this section, we should be able to
• Identify changes in the communist world that
  ended the Cold War
• Summarize U.S. actions taken to influence Central
  American and Caribbean affairs
• Describe the events leading up to the Iran-Contra
  scandal
• Analyze U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War

27
Wrap-up

• So
• One of the changes that occurred with the end of
  the Cold War was
• One of the ways that the United States tried to
  influence Central America and the Caribbean was
  that