Ford and Carter Foreign Policies Flashcards
1
Q
Why did the US withdraw troops from Vietnam?
A
- 1975: communists entered Saigon and Ford ordered for the evacuation of all US personnel and South Vietnamese citizens with connections to the US
- did this as it was clear that Congress and the public didn’t want to support the South (73’ Congress cut financial aid by 50%)
- 6000 Americans evacuated and 32,000 Vietnamese escaped
2
Q
What happened to the Mayaguez?
A
- American cargo ship that had been seized by the Khmer Rouge - the new communist government in Cambodia
- May 1975: Ford ordered US marines to reclaim the ship
- reclaimed despite deaths of 40 Americans and Ford’s approval ratings soared
3
Q
What was the evacuation from Vietnam like?
A
- SV helicopters shot down resulting in 10 deaths
- US marines killed by rocket fire
- chaotic, terrifying, dangerous and humiliating
- marine reinforcements sent in for extra security due to fear of storming of the gates
4
Q
What were the Helsinki Accords?
A
- Ford and Kissinger continued detente with the Soviets
- Aug 1975: Ford, Brezhnev and other European leaders signed the Helsinki Accords
- recognised the existing boundaries of European countries established at the end of WW2
- also included statements in support of human rights
5
Q
What were Ford and Kissinger’s thoughts regarding the accords?
A
- superficial
- Kissinger claimed they simply ‘went along with the Europeans’
- Ford argued the conditions that were agreed were nothing more than the current basis of US foreign policy: respect for sovereign states, a commitment to peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for human rights
6
Q
What were the Vladivostok Accords?
A
- agreed in November 1974
- provided a general outline for a successor treaty to SALT 1
- however, this was the limit to Ford’s success in detente and received criticism from Reagan who believed the US should take a stronger line
7
Q
Why did Americans oppose detente?
A
- it suffered from its association with Nixon
- dissatisfaction with SALT 1 because Soviets attained parity on multiple warheads
- Americans perceived Soviets as having taken advantage of detente to increase their influence in Vietnam and Africa
8
Q
What were Carter’s main foreign policy goals?
A
- had little to no foreign policy experience
- believed in self-determination and that the USA should promote human rights whilst avoiding military intervention
- 1977: declared “our policy is to serve mankind”
- sought to promote peace in areas of tension
- however, wanted to prevent reconciliation between Beijing and Moscow to continue Nixinger’s work on pressuring Soviets
9
Q
Who were Carter’s National Security Advisor and Secretary of State?
A
- National Security Advisor: Brzezinski
- Secretary of State: Cyrus Vance
- they clashed repeatedly over strategies and foreign policy goals
10
Q
What were Brzezinski’s foreign policy views?
A
- Brzezenski a strong anti-communist and therefore a critic of detente
- argued that economic stagnation in the USSR under Brezhnev made the USSR a less dangerous foe than under Stalin and Khrushchev
- wanted Carter to adopt a new approach - willing to dissolve SEATO and CENTO as NATO was the primary fear of the USSR
- unlike Vance, keen for Carter to pursue further arms reduction talks
11
Q
What was SALT II?
A
- signed in June 1979
- proposed limitations on development of future weapons and reduction by both sides to 2250 usable weapons of all categories
- potentially historic, however never ratified due to events in Afghanistan
- Congress refused to ratify as they felt Soviets had taken advantage of detente to become more aggressive
12
Q
What were Carter’s human rights policies?
A
- wanted to support ‘human freedom’ and protect ‘the individual from the arbitray power of the state’
- believed he had to hold America’s allies to the same standards demanded of its enemies
- criticised Soviets after Brezhnev ignored human rights aspect of Helsinki Accords, and also allies like South Korea
13
Q
How did Carter implement his human rights policies?
A
- military and economic aid suspended to Chile, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Uganda
- accused of hypocrisy in not pushing harder on USSR and China (Brezhnev threatened to end arms control talks and Deng refused to discuss it)
- failed to halt military aid to the Shah in Iran who had been accused of carrying out over 300 military executions (condemned by Amnesty International)
14
Q
Was Carter’s human rights policy successful?
A
- Reagan suggested Carter’s failure to understand the nature of diplomatic relations was damaging US allies
- deserves credit for bringing human rights to the centre of his foreign policy, however deviation of realpolitik of Nixinger never paid political dividends he might have hoped for
15
Q
Who was Mao’s replacement in China?
A
- replaced by Deng Xiaoping - keen to push forward economic reform
- had declared “it doesn’t matter whether a cat is black or white as long as it catches mice”
