Reagan upheld the sentiments of his evil empire speech (i.e. strengthening global democracy) in what he saw as essential intervention into Central American politics. The USA was particularly edgy as Communist Cuba lay sunning itself in their back garden and thus Reagan developed a policy of supporting the anti-Communist groups in Central America against growing forces of leftist revolutionaries. This was done with little concern over either their past history or American public opinion. The efforts were hugely unsuccessful and Reagan was duly undermined by Costa Rican President Arias who was responsible for peace arrangements in Nicaragua. Moreover the US attempts to topple President Noriega in Panama also came to nada.

The speech can be used to highlight the main perceived threats that the Soviets posed to the US and therefore the main targets of foreign policy. American interests were threatened by Soviet expansion and while this is not made clear in the speech, (due to America’s need to look strong and defiant), this strength is undermined by the sense of emergency conveyed; Reagan stipulates, ‘Well, the emergency is upon us.’ External to the speech, a senior administration official said, “It is a given that we have vital interests around the world…The hard fact is that the military power of the Soviet Union is now able to threaten these vital interests as never before.”

The speech was delivered to the House of Commons in 1982, in an attempt to counter the rhetorical high-ground assumed by Andropov, who was using American procrastination over an arms treaty to make the Reagan administration look bad to its European allies. It can be argued that it was this context rather than the virulent anti-Communism of the time that inspired the speech and if we assume such an argument to be instructive, it is not surprising that the speech is limited as a source clarifying Reagan’s foreign policy. The rhetoric of Reagan’s first term was more confrontational than anything since the Kennedy era and it has been identified as being a little too bellicose for European tastes, which is perhaps why the speech alludes to Churchill. An attempt to emphasise the bond linking Anglo-American values? Ideologically it clearly pits America against the Soviet Union, emphasising the polarized power struggle that Gorbachev was to work so hard to melt after 1985. Reagan justifies opposition for ideological, global security and economic reasons; it is Soviet ideology however, that is easiest to attack, particularly since the speech was being delivered in England, where most basic American values were shared. As aforementioned, Reagan alludes to how wonderful freedom and democracy are when compared with the very ‘evil’ totalitarian threat. In this realm foreign policy aims were to uphold democratic values against the onslaught of Communism.

Some topics in this essay:
Soviet Union, Cold War, Central America, West European, Perle Soviets, Lebanese Shi’ite, House Commons, Richard Smoke, Contras Nicaragua, Carter’s Reagan, foreign policy, soviet union, reagan administration, cold war, evil empire speech, central america, reagan’s foreign, empire speech, evil empire, reagan little, reagan’s foreign policy, soviet foreign policy, regard cold war, military build-up, cold war politics,