Reagan s Scandal Of The Iran Contra Scandal - 918 Words

Vanessa Acheampong-Tieku US History B Band Due: Tuesday May 31, 2016 11th grade History PBA Reagan’s Scandal of the Iran Contra Scandal: Detecting Brave Politics and testing boundaries Question: Did President Ronald Reagan know about the decision by White House aide Oliver North and National Security Advisor John Poindexter to divert profits from sales to Iran to buy weapons for rebels? Why did President Ronald Reagan change his opinions about his knowledge of his role in the Iran Contra Scandal? Almost twenty years after the notorious Watergate scandal, the Iran Contra Affair took the nation by storm in the 1980s. It was a grand plan that violated American law and policy altogether as it undermined the public trust in government†¦show more content†¦From 1936 until 1979, Nicaragua was ruled by two dictators, Somoza Garcia and his son Anastasio Somoza Debayle until the Sandinista rebels seized power in 1979. The new regime sparked unpopular remarks among the Nicaraguans, giving rise to a counter-revolution, who later became known as the Contras. Because of the new regime’s support towards the Soviet stance, the Reagan administration decided to support the Contras and provide them with financial and material support. The year 1979 also witnessed the overthrow of Iran’s authoritarian ruler, Mohammad Raza Shah Pehlavi, commonly known as Shah. Shah’s relationship with the U.S. flourished over time as his government grew increasingly pro-Western as it sought to modernize the country and burnish its international image. However, as Shah’s relationship with the U.S. strengthened and his international profile grew, many of his own people grew dissatisfied with his leadership. In 1978, riots and demonstrations broke out across the country, and by 1979 these protests increased in frequency, power, and violence. Mohammad Raza Shah Pehlavi secular and U.S friendly government was replaced by fundamentalist radical, Ayatollah Khomeini. While Khomeini tried to break all ties with the U.S, the U.S. quickly tried to improve their relations with the new government. Iran was a key ally needed in the Middle East as it played a