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In the 1980s, Reagan stepped up the arms
race, increasing military spending to unprecedented levels. The Soviets,
with a much smaller economy, struggled to keep up.
[USSR:] Two can play this game!
But they couldn't. Massive military spending put tremendous strain on
Soviet society, contributing to its collapse. The U.S. won the arms race
and the Cold War.
As the Cold War came to an end, some people began talking about an "era
of world peace" and a "peace dividend." But behind closed doors at the
White House and the Pentagon the talk was quite different.
They were busy planning a new era of wars.
Chapter 3: The New World Order
George H. Bush: We won! NEW WORLD ORDER
In 1989, as the "Eastern Bloc" began to crumble, George H. Bush gathered
together his national security advisers to discuss the world situation.
The Soviet Union, they happily agreed, was no longer able or inclined to
counter U.S. military intervention abroad. It was time, they decided to
demonstrate U.S. military power to the world. The White House wanted
some decisive victories.
Much weaker enemy--Yes! Much weaker enemy. Yes! Yes!
"In some cases where the U.S. confronts much weaker enemies, our
challenge will be not simply to defeat them, but to defeat them
decisively and rapidly." (From a National Security Council policy review
document, 1989) [47]
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