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The Carter Administration: The Demise of Détente

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The Development of the Idea of Détente

Part of the book series: St Antony’s ((STANTS))

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Abstract

By 1976, détente was a controversial term, and Kissinger a controversial figure. Détente was criticized as being too narrow by both the right and the left. In the context of Watergate, the bombing of Cambodia, and the Church Committee’s investigation of the CIA, Kissinger’s secretive style only fueled the public’s distrust. Jimmy Carter campaigned, in part, on restoring confidence in government institutions and reforming both the process and substance of American foreign policy. Carter promised “a foreign policy as good as the people.” He pursued this goal by integrating moral concerns about human rights into what he perceived to be Kissinger’s balance-of-power policies. Carter also opened the policy-making process to broader discussion both within the government and with the public. Carter implied that policies crafted secretly by only the highest government officials — policies that were known more intimately by the Soviets than by the American public — were inconsistent with democracy. Moreover, such policies lacked the support of a consensus made possible only through open debate and discussion.1

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4 The Carter Administration: The Demise of Détente

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Authors
  1. Michael B. Froman
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© 1991 Michael B. Froman

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Froman, M.B. (1991). The Carter Administration: The Demise of Détente. In: The Development of the Idea of Détente. St Antony’s. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12676-7_4

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