The Decline of America: A Countering Appraisal
Norman A. Graebner
For many Americans the world has become singularly dangerous. Through much of the 1970's the prevailing view of the Soviet Union, despite its burgeoning lead in conventional and nuclear power, had been reassuring. Facing potential enemies in Western Europe and China, Soviet leaders had argued effectively that Russia's military obligations were unique. But the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in late December 1979 demolished the nation's complacency. That action persuaded American leaders and journalists alike that the Soviets were now prepared to project their mushrooming power far beyond their borders. President Jimmy Carter addressed the country on Jan. 4, 1980: "A Soviet-occupied Afghanistan threatens both Iran and Pakistan and is a stepping stone to possible control over much of the world's oil supplies." Any Soviet moves into adjacent countries, the president warned, would endanger "the strategic and peaceful balance of the entire world." Several days later the president told a White House gathering that the "Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is the greatest threat to world
