What is more important is his 1985 State of the Union address. Reagan declared that the United States should not "break faith" with anti-Communist resistance groups, which is known as the Reagan Doctrine. During Reagan's presidency, the U.S. supported "freedom fighters" in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Mozambique, Angola, and Cambodia, which was similar to the Soviet policy in Africa, where the ANC was backed by the Soviets. The downside of this Reagan-era policy is the rise of Islamic extremism. Al-Qaeda and ISIS fighters were trained by the CIA in Afghanistan.
Presidential Studies Quarterly
Vol. 36, No. 1, Presidential Doctrines (Mar., 2006), pp. 75-88 (14 pages)
KABUL—Some former members of Afghanistan’s U.S.-trained intelligence service and elite military units—now abandoned by their American patrons and hunted by the Taliban—have enlisted in the only force currently challenging the country’s new rulers: Islamic State. https://www.wsj.com/articles/left-b...nd-soldiers-turn-to-islamic-state-11635691605
The Reagan Doctrine: Principle, Pragmatism, and Policy
Chester PachPresidential Studies Quarterly
Vol. 36, No. 1, Presidential Doctrines (Mar., 2006), pp. 75-88 (14 pages)