Jimmy Carter, part two
Written by Christina, read by Jason
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Jimmy Carter entered the Oval Office at a time of political, social, and economic upheaval. He began his presidency by establishing himself as different from his predecessors, by making a point of publicly transferring his family’s farm to a trust in order to avoid any conflict of interest and insisted members of his administration do the same with any of their business interests. He also made good on a campaign promise by granting amnesty to all of the Vietnam-era draft evaders. He is most remembered for his foreign and environmental policies, much of which was influenced by the energy crisis of the late 1970s.
Prior to that, however, Carter conducted a series of negotiations between Egypt and Israel. Beginning early in 1978, Carter reached out to Israeli Prime Minister Menachim Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, looking to find some point of commonality from which to begin negotiations. In September of that year, he brought them both to the presidential retreat at Camp David, where they were able to work out a compromise. The Camp David Accords arranged Egyptian recognition of Israel (they were the first Muslim state to do so) and ended the state of war between them. It also affirmed the right of Palestinians to be self-governing, but not to have their own state. Signed on 26 March 1979, Carter saw this as the most important thing he did while president and, while no one was fully happy with the results, all involved agreed that Carter was key to the peace having happened at all.
The energy crisis was prompted by reduced oil production after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Carter, and the United States, supported the secular ruler of Iran, Shah Muhammad Reva Pahlavi. He was overthrown by the Ayatollah Khomeini, who instituted a theocratic government. The crisis was driven more by perception than reality—the oil supply only dropped 4% worldwide, but the price more than doubled in a year’s time. This prompted worries about gas shortages, as there had been during the 1973 OPEC embargo, which caused runs on gas stations across the United States. The price and potential for shortages discouraged people from driving unnecessarily, which hit the vacation and tourism industries very hard, as well as auto manufacturers. The difficulties for the latter are shown by the fact that Chrysler had to be bailed out with federal funds in 1979. Carter created the Department of Energy to oversee both energy production and usage. His administration also funded renewable energy research, and led by example by having solar panels installed on the White House. He also was widely ridiculed for suggesting that individual Americans could reduce their energy usage by turning down their thermostats and putting on a sweater.
American support for the Shah prompted Iranian student activist supporters of Khomeini to break into and take over the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979. They took 52 Americans hostage and held them for over a year. Carter approved a military rescue attempt, but it failed terribly, causing him to look ineffective at best.
The energy crisis worsened the already increasing inflation and unemployment. Earlier in his administration, Carter had begun to deregulate some industries in hopes of improving that portion of the economy. He signed the Airline Deregulation Act in October 1978, which removed price controls from airlines and made it easier for new air travel companies to be established. He also oversaw the legalization of the sale of hops, malt, and yeast for the purpose of brewing; this had been criminalized since the institution of Prohibition in 1920.
1979 also saw the invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR. Despite the fact that Carter had just recently worked alongside Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev to reduce nuclear arms proliferation, he authorized aid to the Afghans opposing the USSR. this came first in the form of covert CIA training and support, followed quickly by openly selling weapons to the opposition, led by a group called the Taliban.
Jimmy Carter’s four years as president have a mixed legacy. Part of the reason for this is the circumstances surrounding his loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election. Amidst the seeming unending string of crises near the end of his term, Carter was faced with a primary challenger. Edward (Ted) Kennedy, brother of President John and Senator Robert (Bobby) Kennedy, began his challenge against the incumbent president late in 1979. Despite Carter winning the nomination, the fact of the primary challenge showed a lack of confidence and support from his own base. Carter was also seen as ineffective as regarded the hostages being held in the embassy in Tehran, something Reagan emphasized in his campaign. The fact that the hostages were released the day of Reagan’s inauguration made things appear even worse for Carter, but subsequent release of documents and testimony from Reagan campaign surrogates has shown that the Republican candidate promised the Iranians a better outcome when he entered office if they refused to negotiate with Carter. Reagan won in a landslide.
Today, Carter is better known for his work after his presidency, which focused on humanitarian efforts across the globe. In 1982, he founded the Carter Center, a nonprofit nongovernment organization, whose overall goal is to advance human rights and to alleviate human suffering. In the four decades since its institution, the Carter Center has acted as an impartial election monitor across the world and supports emerging democracies in establishing and maintaining their new institutions. The organization is also an important provider of health care and disease prevention and eradication in developing countries, as well as working to destigmatize mental illness worldwide.
Carter dedicated much of his life to diplomatic work. After leaving the White House, he continued to act as a mediator and advisor to the leadership of Israel and Egypt, helping to assure the continued success of the Camp David Accords. He later used his influence for negotiations with North Korea and China. Through his years in a post-presidential role, he spoke out against apartheid regimes, like that of South Africa before 1994. He drew criticism for labeling Israel’s policies about Palestinians as apartheid and stated that the primary block toward peace in the region was those policies. Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, for his “decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development”[1]
Carter was a devoted Christian and made a point of practicing his beliefs. This informed his involvement in civil rights work, diplomacy, and full human equality. This last belief prompted him to leave the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000 when they refused to accept women as pastors. He and Roselynn worked with Habitat for Humanity for decades, including hands-on involvement in the building of 4300 homes. He continued this work well into his nineties.
Jimmy Carter died on 29 December 2024 at the age of 100.
[1] https://nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2002/carter/facts/