Reagan’s summits with Mikhail Gorbachev helped ease Cold War tensions. Credit belongs to both leaders and wider forces, not to a claim that one man defeated the Soviet Union. Iran-Contra exposed serious failures of oversight in his administration.
His diplomatic and political influence edges Obama here, but Jefferson’s peaceful transfer between rival parties carries greater institutional weight. If accountability dominates your criteria, Reagan could fall outside the ten.
Sources: Miller Center · Foreign affairs · Term dates.
Image: Michael Evans · Public domain. Resized and JPEG compressed.
