When Jimmy Carter walked into that Panama hotel lobby in 1989, he was a man on a mission. The controversial one-term US president had left office a decade earlier under a cloud of criticism, with his reputation tarnished by economic turmoil, the Iran hostage crisis, and perceptions of weak leadership. But Carter was determined to make his post-presidential years count – and to leverage his moral authority to tackle injustices wherever he saw them, from Latin America to the Middle East.
A Voice for Democracy and Human Rights
In Panama, Carter’s role was to observe the 1989 elections and ensure they were free and fair. When the country’s military dictator, Manuel Noriega, tried to steal the election, Carter confronted him directly. “The government is taking the election by fraud,” the former president declared to reporters. “It’s robbing the people of Panama of their legitimate rights.” Within months, Noriega was overthrown by a US invasion.
It was a watershed moment for Carter’s post-presidency. Through his Carter Center, he would go on to monitor nearly 100 elections worldwide, mediating conflicts from Haiti to North Korea. Driven by deep Christian faith, he also threw himself into humanitarian causes, playing a key role in nearly eradicating Guinea worm disease.
We cannot be peacemakers if American government leaders are seen as knee-jerk supporters of every action or policy of whatever Israeli government happens to be in power at the moment.
Jimmy Carter
Speaking Hard Truths on Israel-Palestine
But it was on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that Carter made his most controversial stand. In a 2006 book, he suggested Israel’s policies amounted to “apartheid” and said balanced debate was “non-existent” in the US. Pro-Israel groups accused him of antisemitism, but Carter did not back down, warning Israeli leaders against ruling over Palestinians without granting them equal rights.
As an Elder statesman, Carter continued his international activism well into his 90s, only slowing down after a cancer diagnosis in 2015. But his moral voice and commitment to human rights remained as strong as ever. Reflecting on his drive to keep making a difference, he once said:
The worst thing that can happen to a cause, I think, is to be ignored.
Jimmy Carter
A Transformational Post-Presidency
Through the sheer force of his convictions and his willingness to go against the grain, Jimmy Carter transformed what a post-presidency could be. No longer content to simply build a library and play golf, he pioneered a new model of continued service and advocacy on the global stage.
His Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 was a recognition of this extraordinary second act. The committee praised 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.” It was vindication for a leader once mocked as ineffective.
As we reflect on Jimmy Carter’s life and legacy, what stands out is his moral courage – his refusal to stay silent in the face of injustice, even when it was politically unpopular. From Panama to Palestine, he spoke inconvenient truths and did the hard work of peacemaking. And he inspired a new generation of leaders to follow in his footsteps, proving that the most powerful voice is often the voice of conscience.
