In honor of President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday, my longtime friend and colleague John Tkacik wrote an excellent op-ed reassessing Carter’s derecognition of Taipei. But I would like to add my own thoughts on this often-misunderstood president.
During Carter’s single term as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, despite numerous foreign policy and domestic challenges, he is widely recognized for brokering the historic 1978 Camp David Accords that ended the state of war between Egypt and Israel after more than three decades of hostilities. It is considered one of the most significant diplomatic achievements of the 20th century. Carter also negotiated the bilateral SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, which was aimed at limiting the manufacture of strategic nuclear weapons, and sought to get both countries to halt nuclear weapons testing.
Carter’s environmental record is among the strongest of any US president. He used his executive authority to protect 56 million acres of land in Alaska from development — the largest in history at the time — and later signed legislation expanding this protection to more than 157 million acres. He was also a pioneer in green energy, creating the US Department of Energy and installing solar panels on the White House as part of a comprehensive effort to save energy and curb US reliance on fossil fuels.
President Carter lost his bid for a second term, in no small part because the Iranians seized a number of American diplomats working in the Tehran mission, and then held them hostage until after Reagan won the election. Iran then cut a deal that allowed these brave people to return safely to the United States.
Let’s fast forward to considering Carter’s post-presidential accomplishments. Many ex-presidents settle into comfortable lives, giving speeches and relaxing with various hobbies. But not Jimmy Carter, who is widely considered to be the best ex-president of the United States. He did return to his longtime family home in Georgia, but not for long. Soon after, he established the Carter Center and spent decades travelling the world, championing democracy and open society. He won 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.”
One lasting relationship Carter championed was with Habitat for Humanity, an organization that — as their webpage states — “helps families build and improve places to call home.” Carter was a stalwart figure within this organization into his nineties, building houses around the world. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, often accompanied him. I personally witnessed him at work in both Seoul, Korea, and Hong Kong. It was a real thrill for me and my family to watch Mr. Carter rolling up his sleeves and hammering nails into wood.
I was honored to introduce President Carter to a large audience of expatriates and locals in Hong Kong when he was already in his nineties. His wife Rosalynn was a bit less active, but faithfully accompanied him on all his trips until her health began to fail.
President Carter and his wife set another record over their long lives. They married right after graduation and stayed together for nearly eighty years. That is an accomplishment any of us would be proud to achieve. In my introduction to the Carters in Hong Kong, I noted that to reach this achievement they needed three things: first, they had to marry young; second, they needed to live a long time; and finally, (I added somewhat tongue in cheek), “they needed to compromise.” That elicited a rousing round of applause from the crowd.
Among the many impressive accomplishments that President and Mrs. Carter racked up, they regularly taught in church, to varied audiences around the world. I was privileged to attend such sessions in Korea and Hong Kong. People often came just to see a living ex-president. But they were lucky to hear Mr. Carter deliver a rousing sermon, as far as I could tell without a written script.
President Carter did slow down as he marched through his nineties. He spent more and more time in his childhood home of Plains, Georgia. He lost his wife Rosalynn a few years ago, but still soldiered on. I recently read that President Carter was still preaching, in the local church he had grown up in so many years ago.
One goal he recently checked off was voting for Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate for the next president of the United States.
In sum, Jimmy Carter has lived a long and productive life. He has been a beacon of hope to millions of people who have heard of him, listened to him preach, or simply got to meet him. If there is a heaven above, I am sure there is a privileged place being held for him, where he can be rejoined with his wife Rosalynn.
Thank you for all you did for so many, President Carter. Long may your memory be cherished in the many hearts and souls you touched.
Ambassador Stephen M. Young (ret.) lived in Kaohsiung as a boy over 50 years ago, and served in AIT four times: as a young consular officer (1981-’82), as a language student (1989-’90), as Deputy Director (1998-2001) and as Director (2006-’9). He visits often and writes regularly about Taiwan matters. Young was also US Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and Consul General to Hong Kong during his 33-year career as a foreign service officer. He has a BA from Wesleyan University and a PhD from the University of Chicago.
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