The Iran-Contra Affair was part of America's Cold War strategy to overturn communist or socialist regimes by encouraging coups d'état or by supporting paramilitary forces fighting those governments. This strategy raised constitutional questions about the president's warmaking powers. The affair had its origins in two secret operations of the U.S. government that took place during the early and mid-1980s under the administration of President Ronald Reagan. The first of these, which began in November 1985, involved the sale of weapons by the United States to Iran. The goal of these arms sales was to improve relations with "moderates" within the Iranian government and to gain their support for the release of several U.S. hostages being held in Lebanon. The second involved ongoing support by the U.S. government for the Contras, who opposed the left wing Sandinista government in Nicaragua. These otherwise disparate...