George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush became president in 1989 after serving as vice president under Ronald Reagan. His earlier posts included congressman, ambassador to the United Nations, chief of the American liaison office in Beijing, and director of Central Intelligence. He brought extensive diplomatic contacts to a presidency dominated by the collapse of communist governments in Eastern Europe, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and disputes over the use of American power after the Cold War. ¹

Bush supported German unification while reassuring Soviet and European leaders about the consequences of rapid change. His administration helped secure agreement that a united Germany could remain in NATO. He worked with Mikhail Gorbachev on nuclear arms reductions, signing the START treaty in 1991, and maintained negotiations as the Soviet Union unraveled. The diplomacy favored negotiated transitions and continuity in Western security institutions. ²

After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, Bush assembled a broad international coalition, obtained United Nations authorization, and deployed American forces to the Persian Gulf. The coalition expelled Iraqi forces in 1991 but left Saddam Hussein in power. Bush also ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989 to remove Manuel Noriega and, near the end of his term, sent forces to Somalia to support humanitarian relief. These operations posed different questions about sovereignty, military objectives, and the limits of intervention. ²

Domestic achievements included the Americans with Disabilities Act and major amendments to the Clean Air Act in 1990. A deficit reduction agreement that included tax increases broke his campaign pledge and damaged his standing among conservatives. Recession and dissatisfaction with the economy contributed to his defeat by Bill Clinton in 1992. His presidency demonstrated how success in international crises could coexist with limited domestic political support. ^{3, 1}