Why did Reagan support rebellions in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Grenada?

Question

taylor<3srin · Answer

He didn't, Reagan supported no rebellions. He did support the elections of democratic governments in these regions. The reason he did is because, during the Cold War instead of actual open conflict it was based on sabotage and "Proxy Warfare". Proxy wars are events that draw the influence of a country to that of the supporting nation. So by supporting the election of a democratic government he was able to gain some influence for the United States.

anonymous · Answer

Well, that's not entirely true. Reagan supported the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan who were resisting the Soviet occupation of their country and had also supported the Nicaraguan contras in their fight against their government. In El Salvador, Reagan supported the anti-communist government of that country (which was extremely unpopular because of its use of death squads and heavy military force against its own people) and ordered the invasion of Grenada to overthrow the government there after Marxists took control at the request of the Dominican Republic. 

Reagan was focused on fighting communism and confronting it everywhere and wasn't afraid to send aid to those he saw as potential allies in that right (there's a reason why he had the nickname "Ronny Raygun"). Unfortunately, as in the case of El Salvador, the idea of standing up to communism grossly underestimated the shortcomings of those he felt were allies.