In the Room with Peter Bergen Was Jimmy Carter’s Foreign Policy Actually a Success?
Dec 31, 2024
James Fallows, former chief speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter, and Rick Inderferf, who worked with Carter’s national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, dive into the complexities of Carter's foreign policy. They discuss the often-overlooked human rights focus that shaped his initiatives abroad, contrasting his approach with that of Henry Kissinger. Anecdotes from their experiences reveal the challenges and triumphs of his presidency, including the Camp David Accords and the Iranian hostage crisis, prompting a re-evaluation of Carter’s legacy in modern diplomacy.
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Translation Blunder in Poland
- A translation error turned Carter's Polish speech into an embarrassing phrase.
- This mishap created an early media meme of Carter as "snake bit. "
Human Rights as Foreign Policy Guide
- U.S. foreign policy must balance power and idealism.
- Carter's focus on human rights influenced oppressive regimes and helped destabilize them internally.
Carter and Panama Canal Treaty
- Carter studied Spanish and connected personally with Latin America.
- He risked political backlash to return control of the Panama Canal to Panama.
