What was President Carter's foreign policy?

There were several parts to President Carter’s foreign policy. One aspect dealt with the Middle East. President Carter was able to facilitate a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. These countries had been at war since Israel became a country in 1948. The Camp David Peace Agreement established peace between these countries. The United States also said it would use our military to protect our interests in the Persian Gulf. This statement, known as the Carter Doctrine, was issued to discourage the Soviet Union from expanding into this region after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

Another aspect of his foreign policy dealt with Iran. The Iranian government, led by the Ayatollah Khomeini, had seized American hostages. The Iranian government held 52 Americans for 444 days. President Carter spent a good deal of the last part of his presidency trying to get them released. President Carter laid the groundwork for a deal that saw the hostages released as President Reagan was taking the oath of office.

President Carter wanted to show the Latin American countries that he wanted to have improved relations with them. The signing of the Panama Canal Treaty, which gave Panama control of the Panama Canal at the turn of the century, was a signal that we wanted better relations with the Latin American countries.

Finally, President Carter had to deal with the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. We supported the rebels fighting against the Soviet Union. We also boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympic Games being held in Moscow.

In four short years, President Carter had an active foreign policy.