A Turning Point in U.S Foreign Policy
Before 1977
Carter's presidency and the Camp David Accords were a turning point in U.S. foreign policy. Presidents before Carter did not involve themselves personally in Middle Eastern relations, nor did they make improving such relations their top priority.
"Truman guided the United States through the end of World War II, the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the dawning of the atomic age. Truman intervened with American troops in the conflict between North Korea and South Korea, and he supported the creation of the State of Israel in the Middle East (Miller Center) ABOVE: Though Truman supported the creation of Israel, he focused more on global issues.
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"After the implementation of a United Nation’s sponsored ceasefire, Kissinger began a series of “shuttle diplomacy” missions [under the Nixon Administration], in which he traveled between various Middle East capitals to reach disengagement agreements between the enemy combatants." (U.S. Department of State) ABOVE: Nixon's administration was not as personally involved in Middle Eastern issues as Carter's administration.
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"Though president for less than three years, Ford oversaw an important milestone, the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam. He marked the end of the conflict with an aggressive attack on the Cambodian navy, forcing the surrender of the Mayaguez, an American merchant ship seized by the Khmer Rouge forces in 1975." (cfr.org) ABOVE: Ford did not consider peace in the Middle East his primary objective.
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After 1977: Carter in the Oval Office
Carter’s direct involvement as a negotiator was the principal reason for the success at Camp David. This became a turning point in how the U.S. conducted foreign policy in the Middle East, moving from distant diplomacy to direct commitment.
"Carter believed in the rule of law in international affairs and in the principle of self-determination for all people. Moreover, he wanted the United States to take the lead in promoting universal human rights. Carter believed that American power should be exercised sparingly and that the United States should avoid military interventions as much as possible. Finally, he hoped that American relations with the Soviet Union would continue to improve and that the two nations could come to economic and arms control agreements that would relax Cold War tensions." (Miller Center) |
"What Camp David represents is the culmination of that process of Egypt and Israel negotiating to see if they can reach peace. What Carter does is, in my view, is he says don't just try to get a limited agreement, one more limited agreement such as the kind they had had in 1974 and 1975, but he said, let's try to get the whole conflict resolved. And that was the kind of optimism that Carter brought to the negotiations, that this can be really solved, not just managed." |
The turning point in the Oval Office could not be clearer. Carter devoted almost all four years of his presidency to negotiate a diplomatic compromise between Egypt and Israel. He showed determined political leadership by resolving complex international disputes through diplomacy.
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"It's difficult to imagine any other American president doing what Carter did at Camp David. Most would not even have tried, and Carter's capacity for hard work, mastery of detail, moral integrity and just plain stubbornness all came into play. Though he would receive little domestic political benefit, it established Carter as a top global statesman and has served as the inspiration for much of his work since leaving office." (PBS) |