Former US President Jimmy CarterFile Photo: AFP
Jimmy Carter was the president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. One of his achievements during this term was the Camp David Peace Accords.
However, there was also a lot of controversy surrounding Carter as the US president. Especially the American voters saw him as a weak president. Because of this, he had to leave the White House after one term.
The legacy of Carter’s career was mainly established after he left the White House.
Carter died on Sunday afternoon local time at his home in the US state of Georgia. He was 100 years old.
Carter was the first former US president to reach the age of 100. He celebrated his 100th birthday last October.
The news agency AFP has highlighted some important events in Carter’s life on his death.
Panama Canal
In his first year as US president, Carter took steps to fulfill an election promise. He decided to return the management of the Panama Canal to Panama.
The canal was dug in the early 1900s. From the beginning, the canal was under the control of the US military.
On September 7, 1977, Carter and Panamanian nationalist leader Omar Torrijos signed the Panama Canal Treaty. In accordance with the terms of the treaty, the US formally transferred control of the canal to Panama in 1999.
At the time of signing the treaty, Carter said that fairness, not force, should be at the center of agreements with the countries of the world.
Carter was ridiculed in his own country for this move. However, history has seen the treaty as a masterful step in diplomacy.
Reacting to Carter’s death, the current President of Panama, José Raúl Molino, said that the former US president helped Panama achieve full sovereignty for its country.
Morality in politics
Carter took the initiative to distance himself from the “immoral political” issues practiced by his predecessors when he came to the White House. He placed human rights at the center of his administration.
In a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978, Carter stated, “Our primary goal is to help create a world that responds more rapidly to the aspirations of people everywhere for economic prosperity, social justice, political self-determination, and basic human rights.”
Carter signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1977.
Camp David Accords
In September 1978, Carter invited Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Camp David, United States.
After 13 days of secret negotiations brokered by Carter to restore peace to the Middle East, two agreements were signed. This agreement (the Camp David Accords) was described as a diplomatic victory when Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Iran Hostage Crisis
The Iran Hostage Crisis began in November 1979 and lasted until January 1981.
More than 50 Americans were held hostage in the US embassy in Tehran, the capital of Iran, for 444 days.
The crisis was a “test of the fittest” for Carter.
An unsuccessful military operation was launched in April 1980 to end the hostage crisis. This failure ended Carter’s chances of re-election later that year.
