U.s Foreign Policy: Jimmy Carter's Application of Human Rights

Jimmy Carter was a minimal effort enforcer when it came down to applying human rights in his foreign policy. Post-presidency, Carter is more of a humanitarian than in his presidency. When in his term as president however, he made relations with people he shouldn’t have who were violating human rights, had a hostage crisis occur from intervening too much, and tore at a relation that took years to mend between two supergiants that could have caused nuclear warfare.

China relations being mended was the start of Carter’s failure. Relations between the United States and China had been rocky, especially since the Vietnam War and China being a communist nation. Since Mao Zedong had just come out of power and now it was (_) the United States was repairing its relations with it slowly. Nixon was first to go and mend these relations in the early 1970s when Taiwan was fighting for independence. But now that Mao Zedong was out of power Carter felt the need to go too far in repairing U.S. relations with China. What Carter also knew was the main reason why he was bad at applying human rights in his foreign policy because China was violating human rights in its factories and still does the same thing today. Back in Carter’s presidential time this relation was important to open the door for scientific, commercial, and cultural exchanges.

Russia relations with the United States took another step backwards from the relations with the United States and China being mended. SALT II was just signed June 18,1978 after being put-off from Russia invading Iraq. Now the subtle-looking threat of China going to the U.S. plagued the relations even Back in Carter’s presidential time this relation was important to open the door for scientific, commercial, and cultural exchanges.

Russia relations with the United States took another step backwards from the relations with the United States and China being mended. SALT II was just signed June 18,1978 after being put-off from Russia invading Iraq. Now the subtle-looking threat of China going to the U.S. plagued the relations even more. Especially since in the cold war many of those relations the US made were a threat to Russia. it was also not so helpful that Russia lost Israel when the US intervened in the Middle East peace and made the Camp David Accords.

Carter's intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was needed but the way in which he helped was unhelpful and hurt his humanitarian efforts. Carter managed to give the Palestinians a country but in the end got the Israeli leader assassinated and got Russia to hate the US even more. So he helped one group of people and created turmoil for the rest. Thus another reason why Carter was a bad enforcer of his humanitarian presidency skill.