Jimmy Carter's cold war legacy

Abstract

AbstractJimmy Carter's presidency lasted only one term before Ronald Reagan defeated him in 1980. Since then, scholars have debated—and many have maligned—Carter's legacy, especially his foreign policy efforts. The criticism of Jimmy Carter's foreign policies seems particularly mistaken when it comes to the Cold War. With the counsel of his National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter exposed Soviet weaknesses, which included their global influence, economy, and record on human rights. Declassified government documents, census data, and the reflections of former policymakers and government insiders support a revised view of Carter's Cold War policies. The president's Soviet policies helped exacerbate the Soviets' domestic and international troubles, and were far more effective than earlier critics claimed in helping to end the Cold War and contributing to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.