The moron who won the cold war – By Le Naour & Le (…)

The beginning of the 1980s was marked by a neoliberal wave with emblematic figures: Margaret Tatcher in the United Kingdom and Ronald Reagan in the United States. The Republican candidate, a former B-movie actor, will find himself at the head of the most powerful nation in the world without having really prepared for it. Using his acting talents and “comm effects” more than the work of files, the tenant of the White House will not take long to let himself be seduced by the theses of the Chicago school, a group of economists , campaigner for unbridled liberalism. The breakdown of public services, the decline in state missions and the omnipotence of the “law of the market” are among the markers of this ideological turning point.

Faced with what is still called the USSR, Reagan will adopt a very firm position and contribute to relaunching the Cold War, not only through provocative declarations, but also by relaunching the arms race. This behavior will profoundly influence American policy and have global consequences. Considered by his adversaries as uneducated, even an idiot not very hard-working, he nevertheless succeeded in bringing the Russian empire to its knees. If the effects of his neo-liberal choices are still felt today, particularly among the middle classes, the president will very quickly know how to use his acting talents to his advantage, appearing friendly, preferring jokes to political issues.


Jean-Yves Le Naour (prolific screenwriter and also historian) reflects this president with a mixed political record, an atypical image, without concession, and undoubtedly a little overlooked today. If the character remains sympathetic and full of humor, the screenwriter asks the annoying question: was Reagan an obscure moron or, on the contrary, a formidably clever politician? Reading the album leaves little doubt on this subject. Beyond his provocative title and his uncompromising treatment, the image of the former president still venerated by some liberals is far from immaculate.

Cédrick Le Bihanto whom we already owe a political work from the same publisher (In the shadowsbased on the novel byEdward Philippe et Gilles Boyer), serves with application and efficiency the purpose of this rather verbose album, despite the sometimes clownish aspect of the character. The story, however, has the merit of putting into perspective the economic and political choices whose effects are still felt today through the words of a certain Donald Trump. A useful and ironically very current album.

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Belgium

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