War in El Salvador; The Policies of President Reagan and The Lessons Learned for Today
Abstract
Since the Monroe Doctrine, the United States has maintained a substantial interest and influence throughout the Western hemisphere. The United States concern in Central America drastically increased during the 1980s due to the Marxist coup in Nicaragua and a communist insurgency in El Salvador. After the 1980 election of President Ronald Reagan, a strong anticommunist, the United States foreign policy in El Salvador was often scrutinized and controversial. In El Salvador, the Reagan administration sought to defeat the communist insurgents, while establishing a democratic government. The Reagan policy of strong political, economic, and military support toward El Salvador assisted in the defeat of the Marxist guerrilla insurgency and allowed for Salvadoran democratic institutions to take root. The United States should utilize these successes and achievements and apply them toward the current U.S. war on terrorism, specifically in the countries of Columbia, the Philippines, and Afghanistan. In this paper, I will first develop a brief history of El Salvador. Next, I will describe the political situation in El Salvador and its relation to American political assistance during the 1980s war against the Marxist rebels. In the third section, I will analyze El Salvador's economy and American economic aid and show how it supported the counterinsurgency. I will then discuss the military situation in El Salvador and American military support in defeating the Marxist rebels. I will offer some concluding remarks showing how the Reagan policy helped to form a successful outcome to the war against the insurgents. Finally, I will analyze the lessons from the war in El Salvador and apply them to today's war on terrorism.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 15, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA424940
Entities
People
- Bob Benning
Organizations
- Air University