What role did the United States play in the global community in the 1980's?

Answer 1

In the 1980s, the United States play the role of arms supplier and arms dealer to the nation of Iran, and to the mis-labelled "Freedom Fighters" (today they would be labelled "terrorists") in Afghanistan and Nicaragua.
Look into the Iran-Contra scandal, the Contras, as well as the tribal leaders of Afghanistan - you will not see their names on the ballots.

Answer 2

The U.S. was still involved in the Cold War during the 1980's so it was mainly involved in arms races and making deals with countries to prevent the spread of communism. You might want to google or go on wikipedia for the following terms:

1) Domino Theory
2) Iran-Contra affair
3) Iran Hostage Crisis

As you can see we were very intertwined with middle eastern countries.