Jimmy Carter (left) and Gerald Ford (right) speak at a news conference in Panama City. May 5, 1989
File photo: Reuters
Jimmy Carter’s presidency marked a brief change in US policy in Latin America. Analysts say Carter focused on establishing human rights instead of a long-standing pattern of US intervention in the region.
Carter died on Sunday at the age of 100. He was US president from 1977 to 1981. Carter signed an agreement to transfer control of the Panama Canal to the Panamanian government, ignoring opposition and dissatisfaction from US conservatives. The Carter administration suspended US aid to several authoritarian governments in Latin America. The 39th US president even tried to normalise US relations with Cuba.
Carter’s democratic and diplomatic resolve faced major tests in Central America and Cuba. Carter was under pressure from his adversaries to fight the spread of communism in the region during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In such a situation, he was forced to balance his human rights priorities.
Michael Shifter, a political analyst at the Washington-based think tank Inter-American Dialogue, told AFP that Carter’s global policy was centered on human rights, democratic values and multilateral cooperation. Latin America was part of his global policy.
Carter, a Democrat, served as US president after Gerald Ford and before Ronald Reagan. During his term, Democrats sought to move away from supporting right-wing dictators in Latin America.
Panama Canal
An important symbol of Carter’s diplomatic position were two agreements signed in 1977. These agreements were signed to formally transfer control of the Panama Canal to the Panamanian government in 1999.
Former Costa Rican president and political scientist Luis Guillermo Solis said Carter understood that if he did not return the canal to the Panamanian government, a new crisis would arise in relations between the United States and Panama. And the consequences of this instability would not be good for the United States.
Fidel Castro and Jimmy Carter in Havana, Cuba. May 14, 2002. File photo: Reuters
Carter’s decision to hand over the Panama Canal was widely unpopular in the United States at the time. He described the decision as the most difficult political challenge of his life. In 2016, Panama awarded Carter its highest honor for the decision. On Monday, Panamanian President José Molina praised Carter for helping his country achieve full sovereignty.
While in power, Carter decided not to support Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza. The leftist Sandinista Front later overthrew the dictator in 1979. However, Carter had to make a very uncomfortable deal with the government of El Salvador, according to political analyst Michael Shifter.
Carter resumed US military support for the junta to prevent a communist takeover in El Salvador. The support only made the junta more violent. They engaged in civilian massacres. El Salvador was dragged into a long civil war. Carter took a tough stance against the dictatorships of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. He suspended arms supplies to these countries. In some cases, he also imposed sanctions. However, Argentine political scientist Rosendo Fraga believes that Carter’s efforts did not achieve any progress in establishing democracy in these countries.
Attempts to normalize relations with Cuba
Fifteen years after the missile crisis, the US president tried to normalize US relations with Cuba. He eased the embargo that had been in place since 1962. He supported secret dialogue. He opened limited diplomatic representation between the two countries.
Former Cuban diplomat Jesus Arbolia told AFP that for the first time during his (Carter) time, the possibility of dialogue instead of conflict was opened as a framework for political relations. But in 1980, when 125,000 Cuban citizens entered the United States, an unexpected crisis arose. Jennifer McCoy, a political science professor at Georgia State University, said that Carter was politically shocked by the unexpected influx of immigrants.
Cuba’s Fidel Castro continued to support Soviet-backed governments in Africa. He even deployed troops against the wishes of the US. This ended the process of normalizing relations between the two countries. More than 20 years later, former US president Carter made a historic visit to Cuba. He was the first major US politician to set foot on Cuban soil since 1959.
Jennifer McCoy, a political science professor at Georgia State University, said that during his 2002 visit to Cuba, Carter made a bold call to lift the embargo on the country. However, at that time, he called on Fidel Castro to start a democratic process. Jennifer McCoy was part of Carter’s delegation on this visit. Yesterday, the current leader of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, said that his country’s citizens will remember Carter’s efforts to improve relations between Washington and Havana with gratitude.
After Carter, Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) became US president. During his time, the US conflict with Cuba resumed in full swing. A few decades later, under Barack Obama (2009-2017), efforts were made to normalize relations between the two countries. But it collapsed again during Donald Trump’s term (2017-2021).
Current US President Joe Biden promised to review US policy towards Cuba. But in 2021, Cuba launched a crackdown on anti-government protesters. This led Biden to take a tougher stance on Cuba.
McCoy, a political science professor, said Carter showed that dialogue, engagement and diplomacy are more effective than isolation.
