Introduction: miracle on ice; 1. Lord Killanin and the politics of the Olympics; 2. Los Angeles versus Moscow; 3. Jimmy Carter and U.S.-Soviet relations; 4. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; 5. The American response; 6. Easy victories; 7. Painful losses; 8. The White House games; 9. Coca-Cola, NBC, and the defeat of the Iron Lady; 10. The vote in Colorado; 11. Civil wars; 12. Carter versus Killanin; 13. Moscow: the Olympics are the Olympics; 14. Los Angeles: the Olympics are the Olympics; 15. Conclusion; Epilogue.
Dropping the Torch: Jimmy Carter, the Olympic Boycott, and the Cold War offers a diplomatic history of the 1980 Olympic boycott.
Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, a historian specializing in the World War II and Cold War eras, is an associate professor in the Strategy and Policy Department at the U.S. Naval War College. He has published a number of articles that have appeared in academic journals such as the English Historical Review and the Journal of Military History, military publications like Joint Forces Quarterly and the Royal United Services Institute Journal, and journalistic publications like Texas Alcalde magazine and ESPN.com. Professor Sarantakes is also the chair of the Paul Birdsall Prize in European Military and Strategic History book prize committee for the American Historical Association and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
'Meticulously researched and engagingly written, Dropping the Torch
will stand as the standard account of an episode that Americans
might well wish to forget: the Carter administration's clumsy
attempt to lead a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Cold War
historian Nicholas Evan Sarantakes has reconstructed the whole
story in all its intricacies and ineptitude, revealing just how
close the Olympic movement came to destruction. A truly fascinating
piece of political, diplomatic, and sporting history.' Nicholas J.
Cull, University of Southern California and author of The Cold War
and the United States Information Agency, 1945–1989
'Well-written, thoughtful, and detailed international history. A
brilliant example of the intersection between sports and diplomacy.
Sarantakes has written the definitive history of the 1980 Olympic
boycott.' Mitchell B. Lerner, Ohio State University
'Sarantakes successfully blends the history of sports with
international relations. He provides an excellent overview of an
often ignored, but important, chapter of the Cold War, one that
helped reignite the conflict fully in the late 1970s. Thoroughly
researched and well written, it is highly recommended reading.'
Kyle Longley, Arizona State University
'This book is a scathing critique of President Jimmy Carter's
decision to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games in response to
the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, arguing that Carter failed as
a trusted president because of his poor judgment. Based on
exhaustive research into several archives, newspapers in seventeen
countries, and published sources in five languages, Dropping the
Torch is well contextualized with chapters on the Russian invasion,
Richard Nixon's policies on Olympic sports, and the Moscow Games.
This volume is essential reading for anyone interested in the
exercise of presidential power, Cold War history, and sport
history.' Steven A. Riess, Northeastern Illinois University
'Dropping the Torch is one of the most engagingly well-written,
well-researched, and strongly argued books I have read over the
last decade. Sarantakes tells the fascinating story of America's
1980 boycott of the Moscow Summer Olympics in a manner that
successfully integrates diplomatic, political, and international
sports history. His portrayal of the clash between President Jimmy
Carter and Lord Killanin is both dramatic and tragic and brings
home the enduring issues of reconciling moral questions with
international politics.' Thomas A. Schwartz, Vanderbilt
University
'… a well-researched, engaging, and forcefully argued book about a
fascinating episode in Cold War sports diplomacy.' John Soares,
Journal of Cold War Studies
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