In foreign policy, Reagan sought a more assertive role for the
nation, and Central America provided an early test. The United
States provided El Salvador with a program of economic aid and
military training when a guerrilla insurgency threatened to
topple its government. It also actively encouraged the
transition to an elected democratic government, but efforts to
curb active right-wing death squads were only partly successful.
U.S. support helped stabilize the government, but the level of
violence there remained undiminished. A peace agreement was
finally reached in early 1992. U.S. policy toward Nicaragua was
more controversial. In 1979 revolutionaries calling themselves
Sandinistas overthrew the repressive right-wing Somoza regime
and established a pro-Cuba, pro-Soviet dictatorship. Regional
peace efforts ended in failure, and the focus of administration
efforts shifted to support for the anti-Sandinista resistance,
known as the contras. Following intense political debate over
this policy, Congress ended a