Umberto Tulli is a Lecturer in the Department of Humanities and the School of International Studies at the University of Trento

'Readers looking for a nuanced and informative study will not be disappointed. Utilizing a wide array of archival research, Tulli recounts Carter’s efforts to promote human rights in the Soviet Union, which intersected withdétente. While such arguments are not as novel as Tulli suggests, A Precarious Equilibrium still makes an important contribution to explaining how Carter waged the Cold War.'Christian Philip Peterson, Ferris State University, Journal of Contemporary History 57(1)

• Introduction1 Setting the Stage for a Human Rights Policy2 Human Rights and the 1976 Presidential Election3 Firmness Abroad; Consensus at Home, 1977-1978.4 Coping with Critics: the Choice in Favour of Quiet Diplomacy, 1978. 5 Critics’ Triumph: Quiet Diplomacy, SALT II and the Invasion of Afghanistan, 1979-1980.Conclusions