The archimperialist called Ronald Reagan, an idol of the world's neoliberals and anti-communists during the 1980s, returns to Berlin — this time not as the leader of American imperialism, but as a 7-foot tall bronze statue placed atop of the U.S. Embassy.
As the Associated Press reports, the larger-than-life statue is being installed atop the embassy’s terrace, at eye-level with the landmark Brandenburg Gate in downtown Berlin. The statue will be unveiled during an official ceremony on Saturday 9 November, with the guest of honor being the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The gate, on the East German side of the Wall, was the backdrop for Reagan’s 1987 speech when he challenged the revisionist leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev to go further with the reforms he was instituting. In his anti-communist preaching, Reagan had back then implored Gorbachev to "tear down this wall".
A failed actor in Hollywood, Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California in 1967, a position in which he remained until 1975. He served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989, leaving behind a terrible legacy of conservatism, neoliberalism, social injustice and imperialist crimes.
During his term in the White House, Reagan played a leading role in supporting counterrevolutionary forces in the socialist countries, while he left his mark in horrific crimes against the people of Latin American nations, including Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
Reagan's imperialist legacy includes his support towards the right-wing terrorist gang of "Contras" as well as the funding and training of Afghanistan's mujahideen extremists.