President Jimmy Carter came into office determined to follow
a more idealist foreign policy, in the grand tradition of Woodrow
Wilson. He intended to broaden the scope of U.S. foreign policy
to include the promotion of human rights around the world.
Newsweek Cover discussing the U.S. boycott of the
1980 Olympics
To this end, the Carter administration successfully forged a tentative peace
agreement between Israel and Egypt, and negotiated an agreement over the future
of the Panama Canal that ensured continued American access to the important
commercial route. It also completed the process of recognizing the People's
Republic of China begun by President Nixon. Despite these successes, the spirit
of détente with the communist world faded with renewed crises in the Third World
and a breakdown in arms negotiations between the superpowers. By 1980, a
combination of a weak domestic economy, a continuing hostage crisis in Iran, and
increased tensions with the Soviet Union contributed to Carter losing his bid
for re-election.
Newsweek Cover discussing the U.S. boycott of the
1980 Olympics
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