The Collapse of US Policy 1977–1979

Abstract

For the first 2 years of the Carter administration, a series of complex diplomatic initiatives with allies and adversaries relegated Iran policy to the periphery of the foreign policy agenda. The SALT II talks and Arab—Israeli peace process were the most complex and time consuming of these negotiations, but talks over the repatriation of the Panama Canal, restoring diplomatic relations with China, and the deployment of a new generation of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe were all considered more pressing than re-evaluating Iran policy. No specific policy analysis on Iran was commissioned in the first few months of the Carter presidency.¹