Taking office in the midst of the Cold War, Carter reoriented U.S. foreign policy towards an emphasis on human rights. He continued the conciliatory Cold War policies of his predecessors, normalizing relations with the People's Republic of China and pursuing further Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with the Soviet Union. In an effort to end the Arab–Israeli conflict, he helped arrange the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt. Through the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, Carter guaranteed the eventual transfer of the Panama Canal to Panama. After the start of the Soviet–Afghan War, he discarded his conciliatory policies towards the Soviet Union and began a period of military build-up.