The Fate of Freedom Elsewhere

As a work of diplomatic history, Schmidli's approach is innovative. He weaves state, non-state and high-level actors into a single narrative by profiling a diverse set of characters, taking the time to describe each figure's background, outlook and place in US government or civil society.... The book's textured analysis makes a valuable contribution to the history of human rights and US-Argentine relations during the Cold War. -- John R. Bawden * Journal of Latin American Studies * In his fast-paced, engrossing account, Schmidli chronicles the fierce internal struggles within the White House and the State Department, where political appointees dedicated to transforming Carter's idealism into concrete policies battled career diplomats accustomed to maintaining cordial relations with anticommunist regimes such as Argentinas. Schmidli concludes that, despite subsequent policy vacillations, the U.S. extracted some important concessions from the Argentine junta, saving many lives. More broadly, the Carter team succeeded in institutionalizing human rights in U.S. foreign policy.... Drawing on declassified documents and personal interviews, Schmidli paints colorful portraits of key players in the policy debates.... This very valuable study also underscores the vital roles of human rights activists and Congress in laying the foundations for Carters diplomatic offensive. -- Richard Feinberg * Foreign Affairs, * Schmidli's carefully researched and well-written book explores the Carter administrations adoption of human rights policies and the attendant tensions, conflicts, failures, and successes this decision generated....[T]his is an excellent book, and one that is highly readable and valuable both to experts on the topic and undergraduates in the ?elds of law, human rights, Latin America, United States foreign policy/diplomatic history, and the 1970s. -- Margaret Powers * Law & History Review * Schmidli's thorough and nuanced use of the documentary evidence, which includes recently declassified official papers and personal interviews, not only adds revealing new details but also makes a strong case for the importance of a range of midlevel actors like F. Allen Tex Harris at the Buenos Aires embassy who, by the sheer tenacity of their convictions, affected the course of events. By skillfully interweaving such personal close-ups at the micro levels of the policymaking process, Schmidli produced an engaging as well as highly readable account of the rise and inner workings of human rights policies during the Carter administration. -- Susan Fitzpatrick-Behrens * Hispanic American Historical Review * Scholars interested in human rights diplomacy will find much of value in William Michael Schmidli's engaging account of the human rights dimension of U.S. president Jimmy Carter's policy toward Argentina.. Engagingly written and conveying the sweep of human rights developments in the 1970s concisely and effectively, the book deserves a wide audience. -- Barbara Keys * TheAmerican Historical Review * This disturbing study examines the US response to Argentina's 'dirty war,' during which the military government tortured and killed (disappeared) thousands of political dissidents.... Even when President Carter emphasized human rights, the State Department was deeply divided.... As Carter hardened his policy toward the Soviet Union, he relaxed his opposition to Argentina's military government. Schmidli argues that despite Carter's retreat and the Reagan administration's friendly attitude toward military dictatorships, human rights had become institutionalized and could no longer be ignored. When Argentina began a reconciliation process in 1983 after the fall of the dictatorship, Reagan embraced it. Summing Up: Highly recommended. * Choice * William Michael Schmidli has made an original contribution by exploring the motives and paradoxes in the inner workings of

William Michael Schmidli is Assistant Professor of History at Bucknell University.

Introduction: Human Rights and the Cold War1. From Counterinsurgency to State-Sanctioned Terror: Waging the Cold War in Latin America2. The "Third World War": U.S.-Argentine Relations, 196019763. "Human Rights Is Suddenly Chic": The Rise of The Movement, 197019764. "Total Immersion in All the Horrors of the World": The Carter Administration and Human Rights, 197719785. On the Offensive: Human Rights in U.S.-Argentine Relations, 197819796. "Tilting against Gray-Flannel Windmills": U.S.-Argentine Relations, 19791980Conclusion: Carter, Reagan, and the Human Rights RevolutionNotes Primary Sources Index