Describe the greatest foreign policy victory for the carter administration......i know it has something to do with the middle east but i am not quite understanding whats in my textbook.
The Camp David Accords brought peace between Israel and its main enemies.
For more details, read the section about Camp David Accords.
http://millercenter.org/president/carter/essays/biography/5
The greatest foreign policy victory for the Carter administration was the Camp David Accords, which were signed in 1978. This historic achievement played a significant role in establishing peace between Israel and Egypt, two nations that had been engaged in hostile relations for decades.
To understand the Camp David Accords and its significance, it is important to grasp a few key points:
1. Context: The Arab-Israeli conflict had been ongoing for decades before President Jimmy Carter took office in 1977. The major issue at stake was the Israeli occupation of territories captured during the 1967 Six-Day War, including the Sinai Peninsula, which belonged to Egypt.
2. Negotiations: Carter recognized the urgency of resolving the conflict in the Middle East and invited Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to meet at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, USA. The negotiations lasted for twelve days, from September 5 to 17, 1978.
3. Achievements: During the negotiations, Carter served as a mediator, guiding the discussions between Sadat and Begin. The talks were highly intense and fraught with disagreements. Nevertheless, all parties involved eventually agreed on two significant documents:
a. The Framework for Peace in the Middle East: This document outlined a path toward peace, addressing issues such as Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, the establishment of Palestinian autonomy, and the recognition of Israel's right to exist.
b. The Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel: This treaty was signed separately by Sadat and Begin and officially ended the state of war between the two countries. It included provisions for the normalization of diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations between Egypt and Israel.
4. Significance: The Camp David Accords were a groundbreaking achievement for several reasons:
a. First, they marked the first-ever peace treaty between Israel and an Arab nation. This alone was a significant milestone in the region's history.
b. Second, the Accords established a framework for future negotiations, laying the groundwork for the Oslo Accords in the 1990s and subsequent peace initiatives.
c. Third, they brought a sense of stability and reduced tensions in the Middle East, allowing Egypt and Israel to coexist peacefully for over four decades. The treaty engendered a sense of mutual trust and demonstrated that peace between longtime adversaries was, in fact, achievable.
To summarize, the Camp David Accords were a paramount foreign policy victory for the Carter administration because they brought about a historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, ending decades of conflict in the region. The significance of this achievement lies in its lasting impact on the Middle East and its demonstration that even deeply-rooted conflicts can be resolved through diplomacy and persistent negotiation.