Robert McFarlane and the Iran-Contra Affairs

Abstract

The Iran-Contra Affair is one of the most corrupt and involved scandals in United States history; in dire need of a revisit after 25 years. The focus of this paper is on one of the individuals involved, Robert McFarlane. Robert McFarlane's involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair is important to the understanding of United States foreign policy. The research following will provide an understanding of the complexity of the Iran-Contra Affair, including relative background information on Central America and Iran. Many of the sources including newspaper articles, books, magazines, and Congressional hearings found throughout the research were instrumental in providing a clear description of McFarlane's character and his involvement. It becomes clear that the Iran-Contra Affair was allowed to mature through several major foreign-policy errors. McFarlane's involvement and character had allowed him room to maneuver around Congress, showing that McFarlane had proven to be one of the key components to the organization and policy making during the Iran-Contra Affair.