Editing Reagan Doctrine (section)

{{Short description|1980s U.S. strategy to counter Soviet influence}}
{{Ronald Reagan series}}
{{conservatism US|history}}
The '''Reagan Doctrine''' was a United States foreign policy strategy implemented by the administration of President [[Ronald Reagan]] to overwhelm the global influence of the [[Soviet Union]] in the late [[Cold War]]. As stated by Reagan in his [[State of the Union|State of the Union Address]] on [[1985 State of the Union Address|February 6, 1985]]: "We must not break faith with those who are risking their lives—on every continent from [[Afghanistan]] to [[Nicaragua]]—to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth."<ref>Chester Pach, 'The Reagan Doctrine: Principle, Pragmatism, and Policy" ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'', March 2006. p 75</ref> The doctrine was a centerpiece of [[Foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration|U.S. foreign policy from the early 1980s]] until the end of the Cold War in 1991.

Under the Reagan Doctrine, the United States provided overt and covert aid to [[Anti-communism|anti-communist]] [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrillas]] and [[resistance movement]]s in an effort to "[[rollback|roll back]]" Soviet-backed pro-communist governments in [[Africa]], [[Asia]], and [[Latin America]]. The doctrine was designed to diminish Soviet influence in these regions as part of the administration's overall strategy to win the Cold War.