Reagan Hatred

"Reagan's Third world Reign of Terror" is the title of the article i found whilst researching Reagan hatred and i found this article to be the most strongly worded and critical of Reagan out of the articles i looked at. The article on counterpunch.org deals with some of the issues which appear to have faded and been forgotten when Reagan's legacy is called into question. When Reagan is mentioned the key issues which arise both for and against his character usually consist of his dealings with Iran, his trickle down policy, his character and most recently his ability to defeat a strong Democrat candidate.

However, this article, as seen in the title, deals with Reagan’s foreign policy toward less economically developed countries particularly those in South/Central America. The article begins by saying "In the interest of filling out the Reagan portrait, let us consider a few regions unfortunate enough to capture his attention, starting with Central America." and the article goes on to discuss how Reagan supported the wrong side by supporting the Salvadoran government in their oppression of their own people and the article suggests that Reagan's actions potentially resulted in the death of another 20,000 Salvadorians.

"El Salvador’s labor movement was decimated, the opposition press exterminated, opposition politicians murdered or driven into exile, the church martyred."

Reagan was further criticised within the article for supporting and praising this government in its handling of the situation and with public and congressional support continued to aid this oppressive regime. what is perhaps most significant about this is that Reagan had not only Congressional support but also public, as a result of this the article is able to suggest that Reagan's great public speaking (something he is often praised for amongst republicans) allowed the American people to be deceived and further bloodshed to continue.

"The Great Communicator/Prevaricator achieved his objective; aid — and blood — continued to flow"

The article then goes on to criticise Reagan for some of his more infamous deeds regarding Nicaragua and the 'Contras', "Reagan’s proxy army" as the article refers to them as well as criticising Reagans supposed stand against terrorism whilst making arms deals with Iran and nation at the time, and perhaps still, considered a terrorist nation who acquired munitions from the US by holding US citizens hostage and exchanging them for missiles. the article surmises this section by saying "the contras themselves were terrorists, as were those elements of the Honduran army that the CIA and Ollie North employed to help the contras, as was the notorious Salvadoran air force that assisted in the contra resupply effort. All murdered noncombatants to achieve political objectives."

The article goes on to list numerous occasions in which the Reagan administration supported the 'wrong sides' in several conflicts, usually the side prone to mass murder, raps and pillaging their enemy. The article discusses Reagans support of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge, a warlord who had been removed from power by the Vietnamese after continually attacking villages in Vietnam, the article discusses how Reagan even went so far as to have his UN representative acknowledge Khmer Rouge as the true leader of Cambodia and not the existing government. Finally within the article he is criticised for supporting South Africa's illegal occupation of Namibia and his support for the human rights violating leaders of South Africa at the time and dismissing Nelson Mandela’s African national congress as a "communist terrorists"

The article finishes up with the following statement "By providing apologetics, diplomatic support and/or military aid to some of the worst governments, rebel forces and terror-prone proxy armies of the 1980s, Reagan was an accomplice in hundreds of thousands of deaths. That’s a big part of his legacy, and it’s no cause for celebration."

Having researched Reagan Hatred i am inclined to believe that his legacy as a supporter of apartheid South Africa, the Salvadoran government and his oppression of the Nicaraguan people should outlive his accomplishments as a public speaker. However this appears to have not been the case and as a result the call for 'another Reagan' in present republican primaries is potentially a cause for concern given the instability and fragility of certain nations at this moment in time.

www.counterpunch.org/2011/02/08/reagan-s-third-world-reign-of-terror/