George Herbert Walker Bush

Birth-Death: (1924 -     ) Term: (1989-1993 )

Bush's idea was "force for good." He intended to use the United States armed forces to move the world into freedom and peace. To that extent, he was successful, though in some cases, as with the collapse of the Soviet Union, an American show of force had little to do with it.

Foreign Events of George Bush

    The United States was ousted from the Latin American countries once and for all. First, the Nicaraguan question was solved. The United States had supported a military dictatorship of the Somoza family since World War II. During the Reagan administration he was removed from power and the United States supported terrorist rebels. By 1989 Latin American Countries were ready to solve their problems. Under the supervision of the United Nations free elections were held in 1990 and Violeta Chamorro was elected. As the new president she worked hard to disarm the contras and establish a stable government.

    The United States was also involved in a short war in Panama. General Manuel Noriega came to power during a coup in 1988. He had been indicted for drug trafficking in the United States and Washington sought for ways to replace him. After sanctions and an attempted military coup failed in October 1989, US troops invaded Panama, effectively capturing Noriega, who was returned to the United States and prosecuted for the drug charges.

    The Cold War officially ended during the Presidency of George Bush. Mikhail Gorbachev had made the USSR a non-communist country, and after a military coup failed in 1991, he passed the reigns of power to a new leader, Boris Yeltsin. In the spring of 1992 the two leaders agreed to substantial cuts in military weapons, in return Russia received the removal of Cold War trade barriers and an economic package.

    The major foreign event during George Bush's Presidency was the Iraq-Kuwait conflict. Iraq had invaded Kuwait in August of 1990. The United Nations was quick to respond, but Iraq ignored the UN ultimatum to withdraw from Kuwait and George Bush authorized a massive air offensive against Iraq. Operation desert Storm lasted for 100 hours and Kuwait was again an independent nation.