Iran-Contra Affair of the 198Os. Term Paper

In the years following the Iran-Contra scandal, it seems there were many lessons learned. One, the government, when caught, is adept at covering itself and its own. Authors Lynch and Bogan note, "In the years since then, this conclusion was underlined by the fact that no one was impeached, few criminal convictions occurred, and no significant government reforms were enacted."

In fact, high ranking officials, such as the president and his advisers all managed to steer clear of any major implication in the event. In fact, when the final findings were disclosed in 1994, few people, including the press were interested in what the special prosecutor had to say. Somehow, everyone managed to avoid long prison terms, and the affair has generally been forgotten. Another writer notes, "National polls indicate that many Americans remain confused about the meaning and importance of the Iran/contra affair. Part of this confusion can be attributed to the complexity of the story."

Perhaps the biggest lesson learned from the operation was that the government has much more power to create covert operations than the American people may have thought, and they do not always get caught in these covert operations. When they do, there are many ways they can avoid prosecution and responsibility. The Iran-Contra Affair shows that America is not always the "good guy" and does not always make the right political decisions.

References

Hertsgaard, M. (1990, July 2). The media wrap up: Iran/Contra. The Nation, 251, 9+.

Kornbluh, P. (1987). The Iran-Contra scandal: A postmortem. World Policy Journal, 5(1), 129-150.

Lynch, M., & Bogen, D. (1996). The spectacle of history: Speech, text, and memory at the Iran-Contra hearings. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

Lynch, M., & Bogen, D. (1996). The spectacle of history: Speech, text, and memory at the Iran-Contra hearings. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 21.

Kornbluh, P. (1987). The Iran-Contra scandal: A postmortem. World Policy Journal, 5(1), 140.

Lynch, and…