Ronald Reagan no more

Within the US, Reagan's legacy has been debated endlessly and inconclusively. Conservatives, who revere him, see him as a man who governed with morality and integrity, faced down the communists abroad, turned around the economy at home, and reaffirmed traditional values. Liberals are less enthusiastic about his tenure, noting that he left office with a record-breaking fiscal deficit, and that his policies had increased inequality and unemployment, and further marginalised those at the bottom end of the economic and social spectrum. They also point to the scandals, such as Iran-Contra, that plagued his administration.

Outside the US, Reagan's legacy is no clearer. While conservatives credit him with the fall of the Soviet Union, the verdict of history remains ambiguous. However, what is unambiguous was the destructive nature of the proxy wars the US fought in Central America, its role in the rise of religious extremism, and its retreat from Lebanon after the death of 241 marines, all on Reagan's watch.

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Perhaps the most fitting tribute we can pay to Reagan today is to acknowledge that he embodied a genial optimism and civility far removed from the ugliness of US politics today.