Test Order 6001112 Compare and contrast MLA
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President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan's Foreign Policy
What were their basic philosophies when it came to foreign policies?
The Vietnam War and Watergate scandal nearly made the US despair in the late 1970s
and early 1980s. The next president would have to alter US foreign policy drastically. Jimmy
Carter and Ronald Reagan had different foreign policies. Carter championed democracy,
human rights, and diplomacy. He favored international engagement and distancing the US
from authoritarian governments disregarding human rights. After the Soviet Union invaded
Afghanistan, Carter grew more combative, boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics and
imposing sanctions. Reagan's foreign policy was more interventionist than Jimmy Carter's
because he advocated "peace through strength" and military spending to challenge the Soviet
Union and communism (Perez, 11). After taking power, Reagan's government arranged the
Iran hostages' release. Reagan supported anti-communist governments and rebel
organizations in Latin America, but Carter prioritized human rights.
Biggest successes, initiatives, and failures with the most impact in the 21st century
The Vietnam War's brutal finish in 1975 and the Watergate affair shattered public trust
in government. The succeeding presidents, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan had to change
US foreign policy drastically (Sharnak, 19). Carter's government stressed diplomatic and
equality over interventionism. He sought values-based international relations and non-violent
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conflict resolution (Reca, 16). Reagan's "peace through strength," increased military
spending, and economic pressure on the Soviet Union made him more aggressive than Carter.
Reagan's policies ended the Cold War.
However, Carter prioritized human rights in Latin America and cut military funding to
Argentina and Chile. Reagan supported regional anti-communist regimes and rebel
organizations (Sharnak, 24). He endorsed right-wing administrations like El Salvador and the
Contras in Nicaragua, receiving condemnation from human rights organizations for ignoring
human rights atrocities. Carter's administration failed to capitalize on the Cold War's end
(Reca, 41). Reagan is credited with hastening the Cold War's end. His initiatives, economic
pressure, and interaction with Soviet authorities helped abolish the Soviet Union in the early
1990s. Reagan's assertiveness and anti-communism define his foreign policy legacy.
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Works Cited
Perez, Luke M. "Building the Strategy of Freedom: Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and
International Religious Freedom."
University of Missouri
(2019).
Reca, Casey. "Reputation: An Analysis of How Reputation Influenced United States
Presidents in Foreign Policy." (2023).
Sharnak, Debbie. "Jimmy Carter and the'Torture Chamber of Latin America': Examining a
Human Rights Legacy." (2023).
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