The Second Cold War: Carter, Reagan, and the Politics of Foreign Policy

Cambridge Studies in US Foreign Relations

by Aaron Donaghy

Towards the end of the Cold War, the last great struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union marked the end of détente, and escalated into the most dangerous phase of the conflict since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Aaron Donaghy examines the complex history of America's largest peacetime military buildup, which was in turn challenged by the largest peacetime peace movement. Focusing on the critical period between 1977 and 1985, Donaghy shows how domestic politics shaped dramatic foreign policy reversals by Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. He explains why the Cold War intensified so quickly and how - contrary to all expectations - US-Soviet relations were repaired. Drawing on recently declassified archival material, The Second Cold War traces how each administration evolved in response to crises and events at home and abroad. This compelling and controversial account challenges the accepted notion of how the end of the Cold War began.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published April 29, 2021

Reviews

[Thomas Ruckebusch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book on the Second Cold War. The author help us to understand the foreign policy of the United States towards the USSR between 1977-1985 and the importance of domestic policies in the decision process.

Once read, it’s easier to understand the muscular foreign policy of the end of the Carter presidency, but also Reagan’s willingness to engage with Moscow.

Every person interested in the Cold War & the international politics of the 1980s should must read it!