Jimmy Carter Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Foreign policy === {{main|Foreign policy of the Jimmy Carter administration}} [[File:Camp David, Menachem Begin, Anwar Sadat, 1978.jpg|thumb|alt=Sadat, Carter, and Begin together during the Camp David accords|Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter and Menachem Begin meet at Camp David on September 6, 1978.]] ==== Israel and Egypt ==== [[File:Dan Hadani collection (990045970050205171).jpg|thumb|alt=Carter standing alongside Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, during his 1979 visit|Carter standing alongside Israeli prime minister [[Menachem Begin]], during his 1979 visit]] {{main|Presidency of Jimmy Carter#Camp David Accords|Camp David Accords}} From the onset of his presidency, Carter attempted to mediate the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]].<ref>Alter, p. 388–417.</ref> After a failed attempt to seek a comprehensive settlement between the two nations in 1977 (through reconvening the [[Geneva Conference (1973)|1973 Geneva conference]],<ref>Kaufman and Kaufman, 2006, pp. 53–56.</ref> Carter invited the Egyptian president [[Anwar Sadat]] and Israeli prime minister [[Menachem Begin]] to the presidential lodge Camp David in September 1978, in hopes of creating a definitive peace. Whilst the two sides could not agree on Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, the negotiations resulted in Egypt formally recognizing Israel, and the creation of an elected government in the West Bank and Gaza. This resulted in the Camp David Accords, which ended the war between Israel and Egypt.<ref>Herring, p. 841–842.</ref> The accords were a source of great domestic opposition in both Egypt and Israel. Historian Jørgen Jensehaugen argues that by the time Carter left office in January 1981, he was "in an odd position—he had attempted to break with traditional U.S. policy but ended up fulfilling the goals of that tradition, which had been to break up the Arab alliance, sideline the Palestinians, build an alliance with Egypt, weaken the Soviet Union and secure Israel."<ref>Jørgen Jensehaugen. ''Arab–Israeli Diplomacy under Carter: The US, Israel and the Palestinians'' (2018) p. 178, quoted [https://networks.h-net.org/node/28443/discussions/4083976/h-diplo-roundtable-xx-36-j%C3%B8rgen-jensehaugen-arab-israeli on H-DIPLO] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704131441/https://networks.h-net.org/node/28443/discussions/4083976/h-diplo-roundtable-xx-36-j%C3%B8rgen-jensehaugen-arab-israeli |date=July 4, 2019}})</ref> ==== Africa ==== [[File:Carter Nyerere, August 1977 - NARA 175790.jpg|thumb|right|alt=The Carters and Julius Nyerere standing next to each other outside.|First Lady [[Rosalynn Carter]], Tanzanian leader [[Julius Nyerere]], and Carter, 1977]] [[File:Olusegun Obasanjo and Jimmy Carter-02.jpg|thumb|alt=Carter standing alongside Olusegun Obasanjo outside.|Carter with Nigerian leader [[Olusegun Obasanjo]] on April 1, 1978]] In an address to the African officials at the United Nations on October 4, 1977, Carter stated the U.S.'s interest to "see a strong, vigorous, free, and prosperous Africa with as much of the control of government as possible in the hands of the residents of your countries" and pointed to their unified efforts on "the problem of how to resolve the Rhodesian, Zimbabwe question."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=6745 |title=United Nations Remarks at a Working Luncheon for Officials of African Nations |publisher=American Presidency Project |date=October 4, 1977 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=March 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311140601/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=6745 |url-status=live }}</ref> At a news conference later that month, Carter outlined that the U.S. wanted to "work harmoniously with South Africa in dealing with the threats to peace in Namibia and in Zimbabwe in particular", as well as do away with racial issues such as apartheid, and for equal opportunities in other facets of society in the region.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=6849 |title=The President's News Conference |date=October 27, 1977 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |publisher=American Presidency Project |archive-date=October 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023115834/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=6849 |url-status=live }}</ref> Carter visited Nigeria from March 31 to April 3, 1978, to improve relations;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/31/archives/carter-trip-to-nigeria-culminates-long-effort-to-improve-relations.html |title=Carter Trip to Nigeria Culminates Long Effort to Improve Relations |first=Michael T. |last=Kaufman |date=March 31, 1978 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=May 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531063017/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/31/archives/carter-trip-to-nigeria-culminates-long-effort-to-improve-relations.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the first U.S. president to do so.<ref name="history.state.gov">{{cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/travels/president/nigeria |title=Presidents' Travels to Nigeria (31 March — 3 April) |publisher=U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818133750/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/travels/president/nigeria |url-status=live }}</ref> He reiterated interest in convening a peace conference on Rhodesia that involved all parties and said the U.S. was moving as it could.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/03/archives/new-jersey-pages-carter-seeks-talks-including-all-sides-in-rhodesia.html |title=Carter Seeks Talks Including All Sides in Rhodesia Conflict |date=April 3, 1978 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=October 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012042353/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/03/archives/new-jersey-pages-carter-seeks-talks-including-all-sides-in-rhodesia.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The elections of [[Margaret Thatcher]] as [[prime minister of the United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/04/archives/conservatives-win-british-vote-margaret-thatcher-first-woman-to.html |title=Conservatives Win British Vote; Margaret Thatcher First Woman to Head a European Government |date=May 4, 1979 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=September 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907191715/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/04/archives/conservatives-win-british-vote-margaret-thatcher-first-woman-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Abel Muzorewa]] for [[Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/25/archives/muzorewa-party-wins-in-rhodesia-with-bare-majority-in-parliament.html |title=Rhodesian Election Ends with Turnout Put at 65 Percent |date=April 25, 1979 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816194436/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/25/archives/muzorewa-party-wins-in-rhodesia-with-bare-majority-in-parliament.html |url-status=live }}</ref> South Africa turning down a plan for [[South West Africa]]'s independence, and domestic opposition in Congress were seen as a heavy blow to the Carter administration's policy toward South Africa.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/14/archives/fight-over-rhodesia-sanctions-reflects-carter-bid-to-save-africa.html |title=Fight Over Rhodesia Sanctions Reflects Carter Bid to Save Africa Policy |date=May 14, 1979 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=July 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703000906/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/14/archives/fight-over-rhodesia-sanctions-reflects-carter-bid-to-save-africa.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 16, 1979, the Senate voted in favor of lifting economic sanctions against [[Rhodesia]], seen by some Rhodesians and South Africans as a potentially fatal blow to joint diplomacy efforts the United States and Britain had pursued in the region for three years and any compromise between the Salisbury leaders and guerrillas.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/17/archives/rhodesia-south-africa-hail-move-in-senate-to-end-curb-on-salisbury.html |title=Rhodesia, South Africa Hail Move In Senate to End Curb on Salisbury |date=May 17, 1979 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=October 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012010116/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/17/archives/rhodesia-south-africa-hail-move-in-senate-to-end-curb-on-salisbury.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On December 3, Secretary of State [[Cyrus Vance]] promised Senator [[Jesse Helms]] that when the British governor arrived in [[Harare|Salisbury]] to implement an agreed Lancaster House settlement and the electoral process began, the President would take prompt action to lift sanctions against Zimbabwe Rhodesia.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/04/archives/carter-promises-to-stop-sanctions-after-rhodesia-political.html |title=Carter Promises to Stop Sanctions After Rhodesia Political Settlement |date=December 4, 1979 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818111344/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/04/archives/carter-promises-to-stop-sanctions-after-rhodesia-political.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== East Asia ==== [[File:Carter DengXiaoping (cropped).jpg|thumb|alt=Carter standing next to Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping|[[Deng Xiaoping]] with Carter in 1979]] Carter sought closer relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC), continuing the Nixon administration's drastic policy of rapprochement. The two countries increasingly collaborated against the Soviet Union, and the Carter administration tacitly consented to the [[Sino-Vietnamese War|Chinese invasion]] of Vietnam. In December 1978, he announced the United States' intention to formally recognize and establish full diplomatic relations with the PRC starting on January 1, 1979, while severing ties with Taiwan, including revoking a mutual defense treaty with the latter.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wachman |first=Alan M. |date=1984 |title=Carter's Constitutional Conundrum: An Examination of the President's Unilateral Termination of a Treaty |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45331164 |journal=The Fletcher Forum |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=427–457 |jstor=45331164 |issn=0147-0981}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Edward |date=December 16, 1978 |title=U.S. to Normalize Ties With Peking, End Its Defense Treaty With Taiwan |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/12/16/us-to-normalize-ties-with-peking-end-its-defense-treaty-with-taiwan/7d53f81a-865d-4a87-8c32-a0f6f343502c/ |access-date=December 11, 2023 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In 1979, Carter extended formal diplomatic recognition to the PRC for the first time. This decision led to a boom in trade between the United States and the PRC, which was pursuing economic reforms under the leadership of [[Deng Xiaoping]].<ref>Herring, pp. 839–840.</ref> After the [[Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]], Carter allowed the sale of military supplies to China and began negotiations to share military intelligence.<ref>Herring, pp. 855–856.</ref> In January 1980, Carter unilaterally revoked the [[Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty]] with the [[Republic of China]] (ROC), which had lost control of [[mainland China]] to the PRC in 1949, but retained control of the [[island of Taiwan]]. Conservative Republicans challenged Carter's abrogation of the treaty in court, but the Supreme Court ruled that the issue was a non-justiciable [[political question]] in ''[[Goldwater v. Carter]]''. The U.S. continued to maintain diplomatic contacts with the ROC through the 1979 [[Taiwan Relations Act]].<ref name="millerforeign">{{cite web|last1=Strong|first1=Robert A.|title=Jimmy Carter: Foreign Affairs|url=https://millercenter.org/president/carter/foreign-affairs|website=Miller Center|date=October 4, 2016|publisher=University of Virginia|access-date=November 21, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031100/https://millercenter.org/president/carter/foreign-affairs|url-status=live}}</ref> During Carter's presidency, the U.S. continued to support Indonesia as a cold war ally, despite human rights violations in [[East Timor (province)|East Timor]]. The violations followed Indonesia's [[Indonesian invasion of East Timor|December 1975 invasion and occupation]] of East Timor. Under Carter's administration military assistance to Indonesia increased, peaking in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/indoarms.html|title=Report: U.S. Arms Transfers to Indonesia 1975–1997|work=World Policy Institute|date=March 1997|access-date=September 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226181104/http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/indoarms.html|archive-date=February 26, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Dumbrell |first=John |title=The Carter Presidency: A Re-evaluation |year=1995 |edition=2nd |publisher=Manchester University Press |location=Manchester, England, UK |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2GK7AAAAIAAJ&q=Indonesia&pg=PA187 |pages=187, 191 |isbn=978-0-7190-4693-3 |access-date=March 21, 2022 |archive-date=April 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410051130/https://books.google.com/books?id=2GK7AAAAIAAJ&q=Indonesia&pg=PA187 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was antithetical to Carter's stated policy of "not selling weapons if it would exacerbate a potential conflict in a region of the world".<ref>{{cite interview |last=Carter |first=Jimmy |subject-link=Jimmy Carter |interviewer=[[Amy Goodman]] |title=Fmr. President Jimmy Carter on "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," Iraq, Greeting the Shah of Iran at the White House, Selling Weapons to Indonesia During the Occupation of East Timor, and More |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2007/9/10/fmr_president_jimmy_carter_on_palestine |date=September 10, 2007 |work=Democracy Now! |access-date=July 30, 2019 |archive-date=July 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730232155/https://www.democracynow.org/2007/9/10/fmr_president_jimmy_carter_on_palestine |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ball |first1=Nicole |last2=Lettenberg |first2=Milton |title=The foreign arms sales of the Carter administration |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |date=February 1979 |volume=35 |issue=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GgsAAAAAMBAJ&q=Carter+weapons+sales+Indonesia&pg=PA31 |pages=31–36 |publisher=Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science |doi=10.1080/00963402.1979.11458586 |bibcode=1979BuAtS..35b..31B |access-date=October 28, 2019 |archive-date=February 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206211240/https://books.google.com/books?id=GgsAAAAAMBAJ&q=Carter+weapons+sales+Indonesia&pg=PA31 |url-status=live }}</ref> During a news conference on March 9, 1977, Carter reaffirmed his interest in having a gradual withdrawal of American troops from [[Fourth Republic of Korea|South Korea]] and said he wanted South Korea to eventually have "adequate ground forces owned by and controlled by the South Korean government to protect themselves against any intrusion from North Korea."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-117 |title=The President's News Conference (9 March 1977) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=October 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011221451/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-117 |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 19, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' quoted Chief of Staff of U.S. forces in South Korea [[John K. Singlaub]] as criticizing Carter's withdrawal of troops from the Korean peninsula. Later that day, Press Secretary Rex Granum announced that Carter had summoned Singlaub to the White House, and confirmed that Carter had seen the ''Washington Post'' article.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/20/archives/carter-summons-general-in-korea-over-criticism-of-withdrawal-plan.html |title=Carter Summons General in Korea Over Criticism of Withdrawal Plan |date=May 20, 1977 |access-date=September 1, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816120219/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/20/archives/carter-summons-general-in-korea-over-criticism-of-withdrawal-plan.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Carter relieved Singlaub of his duties on May 21 after a meeting between the two.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/22/archives/carter-disciplines-gen-singlaub-who-attacked-his-policy-on-korea.html |title=Carter Disciplines Gen. Singlaub, Who Attacked His Policy on Korea |first=Bernard |last=Weinraub |work=The New York Times |date=May 22, 1977 |access-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816085328/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/22/archives/carter-disciplines-gen-singlaub-who-attacked-his-policy-on-korea.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914937,00.html |title=Armed Forces: General on the Carpet |date=May 30, 1977 |access-date=September 1, 2021 |magazine=Time |archive-date=October 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014033517/https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914937,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During a news conference on May 26, 1977, Carter said South Korea could defend itself with reduced American troops in case of conflict.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/27/archives/carter-defends-plan-to-reduce-forces-in-korea-carer-defends-plan-to.html |title=Carter Defends Plan to Reduce Forces in Korea |date=May 27, 1977 |access-date=September 9, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=July 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702233520/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/27/archives/carter-defends-plan-to-reduce-forces-in-korea-carer-defends-plan-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref> From June 30 to July 1, 1979, Carter held meetings with [[president of South Korea]] [[Park Chung Hee]] at the Blue House for a discussion on relations between the U.S. and South Korea as well as Carter's interest in preserving his policy of worldwide tension reduction.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/seoul-republic-korea-joint-communique-issued-the-conclusion-meetings-with-president-park |title=Seoul, Republic of Korea Joint Communiqué Issued at the Conclusion of Meetings With President Park. (1 July 1979) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212140609/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/seoul-republic-korea-joint-communique-issued-the-conclusion-meetings-with-president-park |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 21, 1978, Carter announced a reduction in American troops in South Korea scheduled to be released by the end of the year by two-thirds, citing lack of action by Congress in regard to a compensatory aid package for the South Korean government.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/22/archives/carter-cuts-total-of-us-troops-to-leave-south-korea-this-year.html |title=Carter Cuts Total of U.S. Troops To Leave South Korea This Year (21 April 1978) |first=Terence |last=Smith |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 22, 1978 |access-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816183234/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/22/archives/carter-cuts-total-of-us-troops-to-leave-south-korea-this-year.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== Iran ==== {{main|Iran hostage crisis}} [[File:Jimmy Carter with King Hussein of Jordan the Shah of Iran and Shahbanou of Iran - NARA - 177332 04.jpg|thumb|alt=Carter standing alongside King Hussein and the Shah of Iran|Carter with [[King Hussein]] of Jordan and [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah of Iran]] in 1977]] On November 15, 1977, Carter pledged that his administration would continue positive relations between the U.S. and Iran, calling its contemporary status "strong, stable and progressive".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/16/archives/carter-lauds-shah-on-his-leadership-assures-visitor-us-will.html |title=Carter Lauds Shah On His Leadership |date=November 16, 1977 |access-date=August 30, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=July 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702235156/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/16/archives/carter-lauds-shah-on-his-leadership-assures-visitor-us-will.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On December 31, 1977, he called Iran under the Shah an "island of stability" made possible by the "admiration and love your people give to [the Shah]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vandvreader.org/jimmy-carter-toasts-the-shah-31-december-1977/|title=Jimmy Carter Toasts the Shah|date=December 31, 1977|work=Voices and Visions|access-date=March 24, 2023|archive-date=March 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324205948/http://vandvreader.org/jimmy-carter-toasts-the-shah-31-december-1977/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Making of US Foreign Policy |date=1997 |publisher=Manchester University Press |page=72}}</ref> Carter praised the Shah's "great leadership" and spoke of "personal friendship" between them.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gill Guererro |first1=Javier |title=The Carter Administration and the Fall of Iran's Pahlavi Dynasty US-Iran Relations on the Brink of the 1979 Revolution |date=2016 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US |page=57}}</ref> When the Shah was overthrown, anti-Americanism increased in Iran, which intensified when Carter allowed the Shah to be admitted to the [[Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center]] in New York on October 22, 1979.<ref>Bourne, p. 454.</ref> On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students took over the [[U.S. Embassy in Tehran]]. The students belonged to the [[Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line]] and supported the [[Iranian Revolution]].<ref>Bourne, p. 452.</ref> Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for the next 444 days. They were freed immediately after [[Ronald Reagan]] succeeded Carter as president on January 20, 1981. During the crisis, Carter remained in isolation in the White House for more than 100 days, until he left to participate in the lighting of the [[National Menorah]] on [[the Ellipse]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://forward.com/articles/120124/how-hanukkah-came-to-the-white-house/|title=How Hanukkah Came To The White House|first1=Jonathan|last1=D. Sarna|date=December 2, 2009|access-date=August 30, 2021|publisher=The Forward|archive-date=March 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319162202/http://forward.com/articles/120124/how-hanukkah-came-to-the-white-house/|url-status=live}}</ref> A month into the affair, Carter announced his commitment to resolving the dispute without "any military action that would cause bloodshed or arouse the unstable captors of our hostages to attack them or to punish them".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/american-hostages-iran-remarks-state-department-employees |title=American Hostages in Iran Remarks to State Department Employees. (7 December 1979) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212140657/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/american-hostages-iran-remarks-state-department-employees |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 7, 1980, he issued Executive Order 12205, imposing economic sanctions against Iran,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-12205-economic-sanctions-against-iran |title=Executive Order 12205—Economic Sanctions Against Iran (7 April 1980) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212140558/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-12205-economic-sanctions-against-iran |url-status=live }}</ref> and announced further government measures he deemed necessary to ensure a safe release.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/sanctions-against-iran-remarks-announcing-us-actions |title=Sanctions Against Iran Remarks Announcing U.S. Actions. (7 April 1980) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818212038/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/sanctions-against-iran-remarks-announcing-us-actions |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1980/4/8/carter-cuts-ties-with-iran-ppresident/ |title=Carter Cuts Ties With Iran |date=April 8, 1980 |access-date=August 30, 2021 |newspaper=The Harvard Crimson |archive-date=August 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809084016/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1980/4/8/carter-cuts-ties-with-iran-ppresident/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 24, 1980, Carter ordered [[Operation Eagle Claw]] to try to free the hostages. The mission failed, leaving eight American servicemen dead and two aircraft destroyed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-nation-the-rescue-attempt-for-american-hostages-iran |title=Address to the Nation on the Rescue Attempt for American Hostages in Iran (24 April 1980) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818152309/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-nation-the-rescue-attempt-for-american-hostages-iran |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/rescue-attempt-for-american-hostages-iran-white-house-statement |title=Rescue Attempt for American Hostages in Iran White House Statement. (25 April 1980) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818152313/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/rescue-attempt-for-american-hostages-iran-white-house-statement |url-status=live }}</ref> The failure led Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who had opposed the mission, to resign.<ref>Bourne, p. 460.</ref> Released in 2017, a declassified memo produced by the CIA in 1980 concluded "Iranian hardliners—especially [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini]]" were "determined to exploit the hostage issue to bring about President Carter's defeat in the November elections." Additionally, Tehran in 1980 wanted "the world to believe that Imam Khomeini caused President Carter's downfall and disgrace."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Declassified CIA memo predicted the 1980 October Surprise|url=https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2017/jul/24/declassified-cia-memo-predicted-1980-october-surpr/|access-date=November 13, 2021|website=MuckRock|date=July 24, 2017 |language=en-US|archive-date=November 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113103809/https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2017/jul/24/declassified-cia-memo-predicted-1980-october-surpr/|url-status=live}}</ref> ==== Soviet Union ==== [[File:Carter Brezhnev sign SALT II.jpg|thumb|alt=Carter and Brezhnev sitting next to each other.|Carter and [[Leonid Brezhnev]] signing the SALT II treaty at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, June 18, 1979]] On February 8, 1977, Carter said he had urged the Soviet Union to align with the U.S. in forming "a comprehensive test ban to stop all nuclear testing for at least an extended period of time", and that he was in favor of the Soviet Union ceasing deployment of the [[RSD-10 Pioneer]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-112 |title=The President's News Conference (8 February 1977) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105040225/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-112 |url-status=live }}</ref> During a June 13 press conference, he said that at the beginning of the week, the U.S. would "work closely with the Soviet Union on a comprehensive test ban treaty to prohibit all testing of nuclear devices underground or in the atmosphere", and [[Paul Warnke]] would negotiate demilitarization of the Indian Ocean with the Soviet Union beginning the following week.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-114 |title=The President's News Conference (13 June 1977) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818111344/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-114 |url-status=live }}</ref> At a December 30 news conference, Carter said that during "the last few months, the United States and the Soviet Union have made great progress in dealing with a long list of important issues, the most important of which is to control the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons", and that the two countries sought to conclude SALT II talks by the spring of the next year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-115 |title=The President's News Conference (30 December 1977) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=August 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817111526/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-115 |url-status=live }}</ref> The talk of a comprehensive test ban treaty materialized with the signing of the [[Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty II]] by Carter and [[Leonid Brezhnev]] on June 18, 1979.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/19/archives/us-and-soviet-sign-strategic-arms-treaty-carter-urges-congress-to.html |title=U.S. And Soviet Sign Strategic Arms Treaty; Carter Urges Congress To Support Accord |date=June 19, 1979 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=August 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817175614/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/19/archives/us-and-soviet-sign-strategic-arms-treaty-carter-urges-congress-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/this-day-in-politics-june-18-1979-119113 |title=Jimmy Carter signs Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, June 18, 1979 |first=Andrew |last=Glass |work=Politico |date=June 18, 2015 |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212140451/https://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/this-day-in-politics-june-18-1979-119113 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1979, the Soviets intervened in the [[Yemenite War of 1979|Second Yemenite War]]. The Soviet backing of [[South Yemen]] constituted a "smaller shock", in tandem with tensions that were rising due to the Iranian Revolution. This played a role in making Carter's stance on the Soviet Union more assertive, a shift that finalized with the impending Soviet-Afghan War.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jimmy Carter and the Second Yemenite War: A Smaller Shock of 1979? {{!}} Wilson Center|url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/jimmy-carter-and-second-yemenite-war-smaller-shock-1979|access-date=November 21, 2021|website=wilsoncenter.org|language=en|archive-date=November 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122053035/https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/jimmy-carter-and-second-yemenite-war-smaller-shock-1979|url-status=live}}</ref> In his [[1980 State of the Union Address]], Carter emphasized the significance of relations between the two regions: "Now, as during the last 3½ decades, the relationship between our country, the United States of America, and the Soviet Union is the most critical factor in determining whether the world will live at peace or be engulfed in global conflict."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=33079 |title=The State of the Union Address Delivered Before a Joint Session of the Congress. (January 23, 1980) |access-date=August 31, 2021 |website=The American Presidency Project |archive-date=September 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911122002/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=33079 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ===== Soviet invasion of Afghanistan ===== Communists under the leadership of [[Nur Muhammad Taraki]] [[Saur Revolution|seized power in Afghanistan]] on April 27, 1978.<ref name="Kaplan">{{cite book |last=Kaplan |first=Robert D. |title=Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan |publisher=Knopf Doubleday |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-307-54698-2 |pages=115–117}}</ref> The new regime signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union in December of that year.<ref name="Kaplan" /><ref name="Kepel">{{cite book |last=Kepel |first=Gilles |title=Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-84511-257-8 |pages=138–139, 142–144}}</ref> Due to the regime's improvement of secular education and redistribution of land coinciding with mass executions and political oppression, Taraki was deposed by rival [[Hafizullah Amin]] in September.<ref name="Kaplan" /><ref name="Kepel" /><ref name="Blight">{{cite book |last1=Blight |first1=James G. |title=Becoming Enemies: U.S.-Iran Relations and the Iran-Iraq War, 1979–1988 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4422-0830-8 |pages=69–70}}</ref> Amin was considered a "brutal psychopath" by foreign observers and had lost control of much of the country, prompting the Soviet Union to [[Soviet–Afghan War|invade Afghanistan]] on December 24, 1979, execute Amin, and install [[Babrak Karmal]] as president.<ref name="Kaplan" /><ref name="Kepel" /> [[File:Carter and Begin, September 5, 1978 (10729514294).jpg|thumb|alt=Carter, Begin, and Brzezinski walking together outside.|Carter, Begin, and [[Zbigniew Brzezinski]] in September 1978]] [[File:King Khaled (10168117694).jpg|thumb|alt=Carter standing next to King Khalid|King [[Khalid of Saudi Arabia]] and Carter in October 1978]] In the West, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was considered a threat to global security and the oil supplies of the [[Persian Gulf]], as well as the existence of Pakistan.<ref name="Kepel" /><ref name="Riedel">{{cite book |author-link=Bruce Riedel |last=Riedel |first=Bruce |title=What We Won: America's Secret War in Afghanistan, 1979–1989 |publisher=[[Brookings Institution]] Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-8157-2595-4 |pages=ix–xi, 21–22, 93, 98–99, 105}}</ref> These concerns led Carter to expand collaboration between the CIA and Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] (ISI), which had begun in July 1979, when the CIA started providing $695,000 worth of non-lethal assistance (e.g., "cash, medical equipment, and radio transmitters") to the [[Afghan mujahideen]].<ref name="Tobin 2020"/> The modest scope of this early collaboration was likely influenced by the understanding, later recounted by CIA official [[Robert Gates]], "that a substantial U.S. covert aid program" might have "raise[d] the stakes", thereby causing "the Soviets to intervene more directly and vigorously than otherwise intended."<ref name="Riedel" /><ref name="Gates">{{cite book |last=Gates |first=Bob |title=From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4165-4336-7 |pages=145–147}} When asked whether he expected that the revelations in his memoir would inspire the conspiracy theories surrounding the U.S. aid program, Gates replied: "No, because there was no basis in fact for an allegation the administration tried to draw the Soviets into Afghanistan militarily." See Gates, email communication with John Bernell White Jr., October 15, 2011, as cited in {{cite thesis |last=White |first=John Bernell |url=http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04252012-175722/unrestricted/WHITE_THESIS.pdf |title=The Strategic Mind Of Zbigniew Brzezinski: How A Native Pole Used Afghanistan To Protect His Homeland |date=May 2012 |pages=45–46, 82 |access-date=September 11, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304022857/http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04252012-175722/unrestricted/WHITE_THESIS.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016}} cf. {{cite book |author-link=Steve Coll |last=Coll |first=Steve |title=Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 |url=https://archive.org/details/ghostwarssecreth00coll |url-access=registration |publisher=Penguin |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-59420-007-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ghostwarssecreth00coll/page/581 581] |quote=Contemporary memos—particularly those written in the first days after the Soviet invasion—make clear that while Brzezinski was determined to confront the Soviets in Afghanistan through covert action, he was also very worried the Soviets would prevail. ... Given this evidence and the enormous political and security costs that the invasion imposed on the Carter administration, any claim that Brzezinski lured the Soviets into Afghanistan warrants deep skepticism.}}</ref> According to a 2020 review of declassified U.S. documents by Conor Tobin in the journal ''[[Diplomatic History (journal)|Diplomatic History]]'': "The primary significance of this small-scale aid was in creating constructive links with dissidents through Pakistan's ISI that could be utilized in the case of an overt Soviet intervention ... The small-scale covert program that developed ''in response'' to the increasing Soviet influence was part of a contingency plan ''if'' the Soviets did intervene militarily, as Washington would be in a better position to make it difficult for them to consolidate their position, but not designed to induce an intervention."<ref name="Tobin 2020">{{cite journal|last=Tobin|first=Conor|title=The Myth of the 'Afghan Trap': Zbigniew Brzezinski and Afghanistan, 1978–1979|journal=[[Diplomatic History (journal)|Diplomatic History]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|volume=44|issue=2|date=April 2020|pages=237–264|doi=10.1093/dh/dhz065|doi-access=free}}</ref> On December 28, 1979, Carter signed a presidential finding explicitly allowing the CIA to transfer "lethal military equipment either directly or through third countries to the Afghan opponents of the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan" and to arrange "selective training, conducted outside of Afghanistan, in the use of such equipment either directly or via third country intermediation."<ref name="Tobin 2020"/> His finding defined the CIA's mission as "harassment" of Soviet troops; at the time, "this was not a war the CIA expected to win outright on the battlefield," in the words of [[Steve Coll]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Coll|first=Steve|title=[[Ghost Wars|Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001]]|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|year=2004|isbn=9781594200076|page=[https://archive.org/details/ghostwarssecreth00coll/page/58 58]|author-link=Steve Coll}}</ref> Carter was determined to respond harshly to what he considered a dangerous provocation. In a televised speech on January 23, 1980, he announced sanctions on the Soviet Union, promised renewed aid and registration to Pakistan and the [[Selective Service System]], and [[Carter Doctrine|committed the U.S. to the Persian Gulf's defense]].<ref name="Riedel" /><ref name="Gates" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Carter |first1=James |title=Jimmy Carter State of the Union Address 1980 (23 January 1980) |url=https://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/documents/speeches/su80jec.phtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041015134701/http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/documents/speeches/su80jec.phtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 15, 2004 |website=Selected Speeches of Jimmy Carter |publisher=Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum |access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Jimmy Carter: The State of the Union Address Delivered Before a Joint Session of the Congress |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=33079 |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=January 7, 2018 |archive-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214111712/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=33079 |url-status=live }}</ref> Carter imposed an embargo on grain shipments to the USSR, tabled SALT II, requested a 5% annual increase in defense spending,<ref>Zelizer, p. 103.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Leuchtenburg |first1=William E. |title=The American President |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-19-517616-2 |page=577 |chapter=Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter}}</ref> and called for a boycott of the [[1980 Summer Olympics]] in Moscow, which was ultimately joined by 65 other nations.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Eaton|first1=Joseph|date=November 2016|title=Reconsidering the 1980 Moscow Olympic Boycott: American Sports Diplomacy in East Asian Perspective|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26376807|journal=Diplomatic History|volume=40|issue=5|pages=845–864|doi=10.1093/dh/dhw026|jstor=26376807|access-date=June 20, 2022|archive-date=October 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023092500/https://www.jstor.org/stable/26376807|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Treadaway |first=Dan |date=August 5, 1996 |title=Carter stresses role of Olympics in promoting global harmony |url=https://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/erarchive/1996/August/ERaug.5/8_5_96carter.html |journal=Emory Report |volume=48 |issue=37 |access-date=April 12, 2023 |archive-date=June 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622182355/https://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/erarchive/1996/August/ERaug.5/8_5_96carter.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Toohey |first=Kristine |title=The Olympic Games: A Social Science Perspective |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywy9aslk3M8C&pg=PA100 |date=November 8, 2007 |publisher=CABI |isbn=978-1-84593-355-5 |page=100 |access-date=March 21, 2022 |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705120119/https://books.google.com/books?id=ywy9aslk3M8C&pg=PA100 |url-status=live }}</ref> British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] enthusiastically backed Carter's tough stance.<ref name="Riedel" /> [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[Zbigniew Brzezinski]] played a major role in organizing Carter's policies on the Soviet Union as a grand strategy.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sargent|first=Daniel|title=Postmodern America Didn't Deserve Jimmy Carter|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/24/postmodern-america-didnt-deserve-jimmy-carter/|access-date=November 21, 2021|website=Foreign Policy|date=July 24, 2021 |language=en-US|archive-date=November 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121041348/https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/24/postmodern-america-didnt-deserve-jimmy-carter/|url-status=live}}</ref> In early 1980, Carter determined the thrust of U.S. policy for the duration of the war: he initiated [[Operation Cyclone|a program to arm the mujahideen through Pakistan's ISI]] and secured a pledge from Saudi Arabia to match U.S. funding for this purpose. Despite huge expenditure, the Soviet Union was unable to quell the insurgency and [[Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan|withdrew from Afghanistan]] in 1989 amid the economic, political, and social turmoil within the USSR, precipitating its [[dissolution of the Soviet Union|collapse]] two years later.<ref>{{cite book | last = Gaddis|first = John Lewis | title = We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History | date = 1997 | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 978-0-19-878070-0}}</ref><ref name="Riedel" /> The routing of U.S. aid through Pakistan led to some controversy, as weapons sent to [[Karachi]] were frequently controlled by Pakistan, whose government influenced which rebels received assistance. Despite this, Carter has expressed no regret over his decision to support what he still considers the Afghan freedom fighters.<ref name="Riedel" /> ==== International trips ==== {{further|List of international presidential trips made by Jimmy Carter}} [[File:US President Jimmy Carter Presidential Trips.PNG|thumb|upright=1.35|alt=Every country visited by Carter as president, highlighted in purple.|Countries visited by Carter during his presidency]] Carter made twelve international trips to 25 countries as president.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/travels/president/carter-jimmy |title=Travels of President Jimmy Carter |work=U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian |access-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=December 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231091716/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/travels/president/carter-jimmy |url-status=live }}</ref> He was the first president to make a state visit to Sub-Saharan Africa when he went to Nigeria in 1978.<ref name="history.state.gov"/> His travel also included trips to Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He made several trips to the Middle East to broker peace negotiations. His visit to [[Pahlavi Iran|Iran]] from December 31, 1977, to January 1, 1978, took place less than a year before the overthrow of [[Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realclearworld.com/lists/presidential_visits/carter_iran.html |title=Most Important Presidential Visits: No. 7 Jimmy Carter – Iran |website=realclearworld |access-date=May 24, 2016 |archive-date=June 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601144811/http://www.realclearworld.com/lists/presidential_visits/carter_iran.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page