Book contents
- Purpose and Power
- Purpose and Power
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Abbreviations
- Thinking about Grand Strategy in Peace and War
- Part I From Backwater to Great Power
- Part II From Great Power to Superpower
- 7 Stepping upon the Global Stage, 1913–1921
- 8 The Interwar Interlude, 1921–1939
- 9 Moving Astride the World: The Second World War, 1939–1945
- 10 The Hot Peace and the Korean War, 1945–1953
- 11 The Hot Peace: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, And Johnson Years, 1953–1969
- 12 The Vietnam War, 1961–1969
- 13 Détente and Defeat: Nixon, Ford, and Vietnam, 1969–1977
- 14 For Want of a Vision: The Carter Years, 1977–1981
- 15 Winning the Hot Peace: Reagan’s Great-Power Competition, 1981–1990
- Part III The Post–Cold War World
- Part IV Retreat and Defeat
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Index
14 - For Want of a Vision: The Carter Years, 1977–1981
from Part II - From Great Power to Superpower
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 January 2024
- Purpose and Power
- Purpose and Power
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Abbreviations
- Thinking about Grand Strategy in Peace and War
- Part I From Backwater to Great Power
- Part II From Great Power to Superpower
- 7 Stepping upon the Global Stage, 1913–1921
- 8 The Interwar Interlude, 1921–1939
- 9 Moving Astride the World: The Second World War, 1939–1945
- 10 The Hot Peace and the Korean War, 1945–1953
- 11 The Hot Peace: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, And Johnson Years, 1953–1969
- 12 The Vietnam War, 1961–1969
- 13 Détente and Defeat: Nixon, Ford, and Vietnam, 1969–1977
- 14 For Want of a Vision: The Carter Years, 1977–1981
- 15 Winning the Hot Peace: Reagan’s Great-Power Competition, 1981–1990
- Part III The Post–Cold War World
- Part IV Retreat and Defeat
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Index
Summary
Jimmy Carter had no clear aims upon entering office, and his first two years were characterized by drift and inflation. Carter failed to address the inflation and America’s other economic problems, which contributed to his election defeat in 1980. He innovated in American grand strategy by using human rights against totalitarian states. The 1980 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan awakened Carter to the reality of the Soviet threat. He began arming the Afghan mujahideen and launched the rebuilding of America’s armed forces. He also secured the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt.
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- Purpose and PowerUS Grand Strategy from the Revolutionary Era to the Present, pp. 477 - 496Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024