Reagan increased defense spending by 35% and strengthened our military (“President Reagan's Foreign Policy: Making the World Again”). President Reagan was highly respected as commander in chief of our military. He also believed in counterterrorism and sent troops to Grenada to prevent a communist takeover (“President Reagan's Foreign Affairs”). Growing up in America's heartland, President Reagan learned the importance of being a good neighbor. He paid particular attention to Canada and Mexico and built strong relationships with the two countries (“President Reagan's Foreign Affairs”). During the Cold War, Reagan defeated the Soviets with the strategy of seeing how the Soviets would react to the drastic increase in U.S. defense spending (“President Reagan's Foreign Affairs”). He knew that the only thing the USSR respected was strength. The “Star Wars Program” was one of the driving forces behind the peace negotiations. Reagan also negotiated a treaty with the Russian leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty eliminated intermediate-range nuclear missiles (“President Reagan's Foreign Affairs”). He also declared war on international terrorism and sent American troops to Libya after finding evidence that Libya was involved in an attack on American soldiers in West Berlin (Freidel). During the Iran-Iraq War, President Reagan maintained the free flow of oil by placing naval stockpiles in the Persian Gulf (Freidel). Reagan also supported anti-communist uprisings in Africa, Asia, and Central America (Freidel). In 1987, Ronald Reagan gave a speech to the world in which he was quoted as saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” The speech was given at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin (“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall: President Ronald Reagan”). This speech marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. President Reagan's foreign policy tactics are another reason he did so