The Iran Contra Scandal

Paper Summary:

The Iran Contra scandal is one of the greatest scandals in US government in recent memory. It was certainly the biggest foreign policy scandal during the 1980s. It involved at its heart two secret operations conducted by the executive branch of the United States government. The Reagan administration facilitated the sale of military equipment to Iran an enemy of the United States and considered a nation that sponsored terrorism. With the money from that sale a second operation was funded: Military aid was provided to the contra rebels in Nicaragua, aid that Congress had previously banned. This paper details the events surrounding the Iran-Contra scandal that took place during former President Reagan's term in office. The paper discusses why these actions were so scandalous and what it meant in terms of the US government's abuse of its power and its disregard for the Constitution. The paper contends that the scandal represents a major abuse of the constitutional authority afforded the executive branch of the US government, not to mention an affront to the checks and balances system that is supposed to keep each branch of government from amassing too much power.

More papers on The Iran Contra Scandal:

• Persuasive Essay # 117398 : "The Iran-Contra Scandal"
• Research Paper # 19295 : "Iran-Contra Scandal"
• Term Paper # 9325 : "The Iran Contra Affair"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: