“Nobody 'won' the Cold War - Not even Reagan

[kpete]

Reagan's 'Tear Down This Wall' Myth

By Robert Parry
January 29, 2011

As the United States celebrates Ronald Reagan’s centennial birthday, the defining proof of his greatness as president will be represented by two sequential film clips – Reagan in Berlin ordering Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall,” followed by scenes of the Berlin Wall coming down.

.............

“Nobody 'won' the Cold War. It was a long and costly political rivalry, fueled on both sides by unreal and exaggerated estimates of the intentions and strength of the other side."

In other words, in Kennan’s view, Reagan – along with “Team B” and other U.S. hardliners – did more to extend the Cold War than to “win” it.

It also was a tragic by-product of the Reagan narrative on “winning the Cold War” that the argument was used to rationalize some of the most barbaric actions ever committed by the United States and its allies, especially in support of right-wing “death squads” that terrorized the countries of Latin America and other parts of the Third World in the Reagan era.

Without the rationale of fighting the "Evil Empire," these acts of Nazi-like brutality would have been easily judged as indefensible war crimes, with Reagan and other right-wing American apologists viewed as accomplices.

But none of this ugly reality is likely to find its way into the U.S. news media’s adulation over the late Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday.

Instead, the American people will get a steady dose of Reagan shouting, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” – and the Wall magically coming down.

the rest:
http://consortiumnews.com/2011/012911.html

[The Magistrate]

1. He Is Quite Right, Ma'am

[Fozzledick]

2. Really? I thought the Chinese Communists won

Isn't that why we're now dependent on them for manufactured goods?

[Recursion]

3. I don't know... GE and Boeing came off pretty well (nt)

[KT2000]

4. It bankrupted both countries

and resulted in likely more deaths than WWII.
Cancer deaths and thyroid disorders are the result of our weapons testing.

[david13]

5. More of the mythology. And it seems to feed on itself. And a

part of the ridiculous effort to turn Reagan into a saint.
dc

[bemildred]

6. Correct.

The cold war was mainly a way to avoid sharing the wealth, on both sides.

[jonnyblitz]

7. I am sure Obama begs to differ. nt

[Hydra]

8. Illusions are rampant

but this jumped out at me:

Without the rationale of fighting the "Evil Empire," these acts of Nazi-like brutality would have been easily judged as indefensible war crimes, with Reagan and other right-wing American apologists viewed as accomplices.

Kinda like Colin Powell lying to the UN about WMDs? Somehow we managed to do the same nasty things without the Red Menace in the background.