Changes

Bush's Presidency was extraordinarily eventful from a foreign policy standpoint. Over the course of four years the [[Cold War]] ended, [[Germany]] reunified, the [[Soviet Union]] collapsed, American troops intervened in [[Panama]] to remove a criminal dictator and in [[Somalia]] to save people from starvation, and the United States led a coalition victory in the Persian [[Gulf War]] in [[Iraq]].   

Bush's Presidency was extraordinarily eventful from a foreign policy standpoint. Over the course of four years the [[Cold War]] ended, [[Germany]] reunified, the [[Soviet Union]] collapsed, American troops intervened in [[Panama]] to remove a criminal dictator and in [[Somalia]] to save people from starvation, and the United States led a coalition victory in the Persian [[Gulf War]] in [[Iraq]].   

He differed from Reagan in some minor ways.<ref>See Maynard (2008)</ref> Most important, Bush upgraded the influence of the National Security Council and made its head Brent Scowcroft his most trusted advisor on international relations. Reagan had relegated the National Security Advisor to a more passive role.  Second he brought in a new team of top foreign policy officials, headed by his Secretary of State and long-time friend [[James Baker]]. (Baker had been Reagan's top aide in domestic affairs), Third, he concentrated on how to slowly ease Russia out of its dominant position in Eastern Europe without causing a violent backlash in Russia, thus allowing the peaceful takeover of [[East Germany]] by [[West Germany]].<ref>West Germany paid Russia many billions to take its soldiers home.</ref>  Likewise Bush refused to proclaim "victory" in the Cold War and tried to keep [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] in power as long as possible despite his fading popularity in Moscow. When the serio-comic [[Boris Yeltsin]] replaced Gorbachev in late 1991, Bush humored him and helped him stay in power as well.

He differed from Reagan in some minor ways.<ref>See Maynard (2008)</ref> Most important, Bush upgraded the influence of the [[National Security Council]] and made its head Brent Scowcroft his most trusted advisor on international relations. Reagan had relegated the National Security Advisor to a more passive role.  Second he brought in a new team of top foreign policy officials, headed by his Secretary of State and long-time friend [[James Baker]]. (Baker had been Reagan's top aide in domestic affairs), Third, he concentrated on how to slowly ease Russia out of its dominant position in Eastern Europe without causing a violent backlash in Russia, thus allowing the peaceful takeover of [[East Germany]] by [[West Germany]].<ref>West Germany paid Russia many billions to take its soldiers home.</ref>  Likewise Bush refused to proclaim "victory" in the Cold War and tried to keep [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] in power as long as possible despite his fading popularity in Moscow. When the serio-comic [[Boris Yeltsin]] replaced Gorbachev in late 1991, Bush humored him and helped him stay in power as well.

 

=== End of Cold War ===

=== End of Cold War ===