3. The “Enlightened Realism” of George H. W. Bush, 1989–1993

George H. W. Bush brought a wealth of foreign affairs experience to the presidency from 1989 to 1993. He served as UN ambassador, director of the CIA, and vice president under President Ronald Reagan. A realist, he emphasized US national interests in conducting his foreign policy, rather than the promotions of American values abroad. Among his foreign policy achievements as president were the creation of an international coalition that reversed Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the negotiation of German reunification within NATO, and the peaceful dissolution on of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union. Under President Bush, the United States also played the leading role in upholding the liberal international order. Nevertheless, Bush’s achievements as a statesman were not sufficient to help him win reelection to the presidency in 1992.