Aaron Donaghy
Well, this has to do with the context of the time, particularly in light of the US failure in Vietnam. Many strategic analysts perceived the Soviets as essentially taking advantage of détente. They had been negotiating with [Richard] Nixon, but they were also engaging in a military buildup. So in the 1970s, as the Vietnam War is drawing to a close, the national security establishment is very much divided between those who, for example, think America should tone down the obsession with new strategic nuclear systems and those who feel that the US needs to carry out a new military buildup to take the fight to the Soviets and negotiate from a position of strength.
Brzezinski was very much advocating that latter approach, whereas Vance was more interested in finding points of agreement with the Soviets, areas of common ground. So the national security establishment was divided, and in many ways Carter felt trapped between those two schools of thought, between the liberals and the conservatives.
And this is not just a partisan debate. It’s also an intraparty debate because you’ve got hawkish Democrats like [Henry M.] “Scoop” Jackson, who are urging Carter to increase military spending and pushing back against the idea of détente. And of course, Carter needs those conservatives to ratify any agreement he might eventually reach with the Soviets. So it’s a delicate balancing act Carter has to deal with when he takes office.
Auteur: Aaron Donaghy
