This book is a study of Jimmy Carter's career his approach to human rights his formulation of
goals and his practices before during and after his presidency with a focus on the extent
to which the promotion and protection of human rights influenced his actions at home and
abroad. Historians underestimate the uniqueness of the juncture in the 1970s when Carter missed
an opportunity to change priorities in American diplomacy a misreading that might be explained
by the disparity between Carter's agenda and the reality created by his administration's
record. This book identifies and examines how Carter's ambitious words and promising ideals did
not translate into policy though his intentions were noble. At a pivotal moment his
administration adopted human rights as a tenet for foreign policy but Carter did not design
imaginative guidelines or prescribe new practices to advance this theme. The Future Almost
Arrived illuminates how had Carter succeeded in recruiting senior staff to support and
implement an innovative agenda the result might have been an overhaul of U.S. foreign policy
with human rights at its center - which by improving his chances for re-election would have
changed the course of history.
