New Books Network Aaron Donaghy, "The Second Cold War: Carter, Reagan, and the Politics of Foreign Policy" (Cambridge UP, 2021)
Mar 1, 2026
Aaron Donaghy, an associate professor of history who studies Cold War politics, guides listeners through 1977–1985. He traces how domestic politics, crises, and advisors pushed Carter and Reagan from détente to confrontation and back toward engagement. Topics include the rise of hawks, the nuclear freeze movement, 1983’s near-crisis, and how elections and public opinion shaped foreign policy.
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Domestic Politics Drive Cold War Policy Reversals
- Domestic politics strongly shape presidential foreign policy choices, as presidents factor polls, elections, and partisan dynamics into risk calculations.
- Aaron Donaghy shows Carter and Reagan reversed courses because credibility, timing, and electoral pressures altered their strategic choices by year four.
Carter's Human Rights Start Collided With Détente
- Jimmy Carter began with a values-based, human rights foreign policy and commitment to détente while publicly criticizing Soviet rights abuses.
- Donaghy recounts Carter inviting Soviet dissidents to the White House and later finding those moves clashed with détente aims.
Afghanistan Turned Detente Into Political Liability
- The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 ended détente and forced a hawkish U.S. response shaped by domestic electoral vulnerability.
- Donaghy explains Carter framed the invasion as global Soviet aggression to avoid appearing weak during the 1980 campaign.
