Jimmy Carter (1924-2024)

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died Sunday at the age of 100. He became the oldest living US president in history after George H.W. Bush died in 2018 at the age of 94.

Key Achievements:

• Key Achievements:
  • Camp David Accords (1978): He brokered a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.
  • Human Rights: He emphasized global human rights in U.S. foreign policy.
  • SALT II Treaty (1979): He signed with the Soviet Union to limit nuclear arms (later abandoned after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan).
  • Relations with China: He played a role in normalizing U.S.-China relations.
  • Panama Canal Treaty (1977): He negotiated the return of the Panama Canal to Panama.
  • Criticism of U.S. Foreign Policy: He publicly opposed the 2003 Iraq War and critiqued Israeli-Palestinian issues in his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."
• Challenges:
  • Iranian Hostage Crisis (1979): 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days in Tehran.
  • Economic Struggles: US faced high inflation and an energy crisis.

• Key Post-Presidency Contributions:
• Guinea Worm Disease Eradication: Led efforts to reduce cases from millions to a handful.
• Election Monitoring: The Carter Center observed over 113 elections worldwide, ensuring their fairness and transparency.
• Peace and Conflict Resolution: Worked in places like North Korea, Sudan, and Bosnia to help broker ceasefires and peace agreements.
• Promotion of Democracy: Focused on global democracy, conflict resolution, and combatting corruption.

Relationship with India

• Nuclear Concerns: India's 1974 nuclear test, known as Smiling Buddha, caused considerable anger in the United States, leading Carter to press India on the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which the U.S. strongly supported. He strongly opposed India’s nuclear ambitions after their 1974 nuclear test.
• Diplomatic Balance: While tensions existed due to nuclear issues, Carter laid the groundwork for improving U.S.-India relations, particularly after his presidency.  
  • In 1978, Carter and then First Lady Rosalynn Carter travelled to the village of Daulatpur Nasirabad, an hour southwest of New Delhi.
  • The visit was so successful that shortly after, village residents renamed the area ‘Carterpuri’ and remained in contact with the White House for the rest of President Carter’s tenure. The trip made a lasting impression: Festivities abounded in the village when President Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, and January 3 remains a holiday in Carterpuri.
• Since the Carter administration, the US and India have worked closely on energy, humanitarian aid, technology, space cooperation, maritime security, disaster relief, counterterrorism, and more.
• Indo-U.S. Civilian Nuclear Deal: It took over three decades for the U.S. and India to resolve their nuclear issues through the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear deal in 2006, which was negotiated under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. President George W. Bush.
• Carter’s Return to India (2006): Coincidentally, as the nuclear deal was being finalized, Carter returned to India and met with Singh.