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book: Reagan's Legacy in a World Transformed
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Reagan's Legacy in a World Transformed

  • Edited by: and
  • With contributions by: , , , , , , , , , , , , and
  • Preface by: and
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2015

About this book

Since Ronald Reagan left office in 1989, the global community has witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union and the integration of Europe, the War on Terror and the Arab Spring, a hot Chinese economy and a major international recession. Reagan’s Legacy in a World Transformed brings together scholars from diverse disciplines and persuasions to assess the fortieth president’s policies and their ongoing impact today, and to offer a timely retrospective on his complex legacy.

The authors consider the influence of Reagan’s free-market ideas on economic globalization, showing how deregulation succeeded in spurring economic expansion. In foreign policy, Reagan favored significant increases in military spending (“peace through strength”) and an assertive agenda abroad. His break with détente in dealing with the Soviet Union, notably expressed in his 1982 March of Freedom speech, effectively restored the early Cold War strategy of rolling back communism. More than twenty years later, President George W. Bush invoked this speech in describing his goals in the Middle East—a striking example of how Reagan’s ideas affected the post-9/11 world.

In contrast with his hawkish stance on defense, Reagan’s efforts to reduce nuclear arsenals, negotiated with Mikhail Gorbachev, constitute one of his enduring contributions to stability. Although Reagan’s policies soared on rhetoric rooted in ideological conviction, the president engaged in pragmatic internationalism when a multilateral approach served America’s interests. He believed that America had a special mission as a moral leader and beacon of freedom, a view that continues to inform U.S. foreign policy.

Author / Editor information

Contributor: Jeffrey L. Chidester Jeffrey Chidester is Director of Policy Programs at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia. --- Contributor: Paul Kengor Paul Kengor is Professor of Political Science and Executive Director of the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College. --- Contributor: Brian Mulroney Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. --- Contributor: Paul Kengor Paul Kengor is Professor of Political Science and Executive Director of the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College. --- Contributor: Barry E. Carter Barry E. Carter is Professor of Law and Director of the Center on Transnational Business and the Law at Georgetown University Law Center. --- Contributor: Jeffrey L. Chidester Jeffrey Chidester is Director of Policy Programs at the Miller Center at the University of Virginia. --- Contributor: Eliot A. Cohen Eliot A. Cohen is Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies and Director of the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. --- Contributor: Alfred E. Eckes, Jr. Alfred E. Eckes, Jr., is Ohio Eminent Research Scholar in Contemporary History and Professor of History at Ohio University. --- Contributor: Kim R. Holmes Kim R. Holmes is Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, and Director of The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation. --- Contributor: Henry R. Nau Henry R. Nau is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the U.S.–Japan–South Korea Legislative Exchange Program at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. --- Contributor: Kiron K. Skinner Kiron K. Skinner is Associate Professor of Social and Decision Sciences and Director of the Center for International Relations and Politics at Carnegie Mellon University. --- Contributor: Peter Trubowitz Peter Trubowitz is Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. --- Contributor: Julian E. Zelizer Julian E. Zelizer is Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University.

Reviews

Jeffrey Chidester and Paul Kengor have assembled an outstanding set of analysts to examine the presidency and ongoing impact of Ronald Reagan, who continues to stand as one of the most important political figures of the twentieth century. These authors may differ on how Reagan changed the world, but they leave little question that he did.
-- Andrew E. Busch, Claremont McKenna College

Chidester and Kengor have produced a volume that captures the life, leadership, and legacy of President Ronald Reagan on the world stage. For those who knew and worked with President Reagan, these essays will be a reminder of a great leader and significant accomplishments. For students and those seeking to learn about Ronald Reagan, this work both lays the foundation and provides deep understanding.
-- Stewart D. McLaurin, The White House Historical Association

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Frontmatter

    i
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  • Publicly Available

    Contents

    v
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    Foreword

    vii
    Brian Mulroney
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    Introduction

    1
    Paul Kengor and Jeffrey L. Chidester
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  • I. At Home and Abroad: The Global Impact of Reagan’s Domestic Policy
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    1. Ronald Reagan and the New Age of Globalization

    11
    Alfred E. Eckes
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    2. The “Great Expansion”: Th e Economic Legacy of Ronald Reagan

    24
    Henry R. Nau
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    3. “The Balancer”: Ronald Reagan, Party Politics, and U.S. Grand Strategy

    38
    Peter Trubowitz
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  • II. Trends in Global Democracy: The Reagan Legacy
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    4. From Containment to Liberation: U.S. Strategy toward Eastern Europe

    53
    Jeffrey L. Chidester
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    5. Reagan’s “March of Freedom” in a Changing World

    76
    Paul Kengor
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  • III. A New National Strategy: Reagan’s Defense Policy Revisited
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    6. Th e Beginning of a New U.S. Grand Strategy: Policy on Terror during the Reagan Era

    101
    Kiron K. Skinner
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    7. Ronald Reagan and American Defense

    124
    Eliot A. Cohen
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  • IV. The Great Debate: Reagan and Negotiating the End of the Cold War
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    8. A World of Fewer Nuclear Weapons: Ronald Reagan’s Willingness to Negotiate

    139
    Paul Kengor
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    9. Building Up and Seeking Peace: President Reagan’s Cold War Legacy

    165
    Beth A. Fischer
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    10. Ronald Reagan, Liberalism, and the Politics of Nuclear War and National Security, 1981–1985

    178
    Julian E. Zelizer
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  • V. Reagan and Multilateralism: Two Voices
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    11. Ronald Reagan’s Approach to the United Nations

    201
    Kim R. Holmes
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    12. Ronald Reagan, the Pragmatic Internationalist

    216
    Barry E. Carter
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    Notes

    231
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    Acknowledgments

    281
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    Contributors

    283
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    Index

    285
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
April 24, 2015
eBook ISBN:
9780674426207
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
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https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674426207
eBook ISBN: 9780674426207
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
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