Ronald Reagan: A Cold War Strategist or an Opportunist? Framing in Reagan's Presidential Interviews Between 1981-1989.

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2023-06-15
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en
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The thesis aims to contribute to the discussion on President Ronald Reagan's Cold War Strategy. To that end, it argues that Reagan had a preliminary strategy when taking office in 1981, the central aspects of which were peace from strength, realism and deterrence. The thesis also contends that the above-mentioned strategy developed during Reagan's first presidential term and fully matured only by his second term in office. This argument is based on a thorough content analysis of Reagan's Presidential interviews between 1981 and 1989, specifically through focusing on Reagan's framing of US-Soviet relations and the nuclear disarmament negotiations in these interviews. By providing a thorough overview of both of Reagan's presidential terms in their own right and also conducting a diachronic comparison between the two terms, the thesis is able to present the continuities and changes in framing and, resultantly, also the development of a preliminary Cold War strategy.
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