Reagan Doctrine

The Reagan Doctrine was a United States foreign policy during the 1980s that aimed to counter Soviet influence by supporting anti-communist guerrilla movements and governments in developing nations. President Ronald Reagan believed the U.S. had become militarily weak and sought to restore its global standing through increased defense spending and a more assertive stance against communism.1

This doctrine was applied in various regions, notably in Central America. The U.S. provided significant military and economic aid to the government of El Salvador to combat leftist insurgents. In Nicaragua, the Reagan administration supported the Contras, a group of anti-Sandinista rebels, in their efforts to overthrow the Sandinista government, which had strengthened ties with Cuba and the Soviet Union. The policy also extended to supporting groups like the mujahideen in Afghanistan and UNITA in Angola.12