Jimmy Carter

Should Jimmy Carter's Coming Departure Change How We Memorialize Presidents?

by Lindsay M. Chervinsky

"When does respect and gratitude transfer from the office to the person—and when does that become inappropriate in a republic?" A presidential historian argues for emphasizing Carter's service while a private citizen as a way of emphasizing that the president is a first-among-equals citizen. 

William Casey (Almost) Certainly Delayed the Release of Iran Hostages to Help Reagan

by Jonathan Alter, Gary Sick, Kai Bird and Stuart Eizenstat

It has long been suspected that Reagan's campaign chief William Casey convinced Iran that they could get a better deal by releasing American hostages after the election of Ronald Reagan. Available documents, recent interviews, and the vast circumstantial evidence present a damning case, argues a team of policy vets and journalistic experts on the Carter years. 

Jimmy Carter's Human Rights Legacy: A Lifetime in the Making

by Richard Moe

We should remember Carter as arguably the most consequential one-term president, because of his insistence on taking the long view through a moral lens. 

I Helped John Connally Try to Delay the Release of the Iran Hostages

The New York Times recently reported the claim by Ben Barnes that he and the former Texas governor toured the middle east in 1980 to try to delay the release of hostages to help Ronald Reagan win election. 

H.W. Brands on Ben Barnes's "Revelation" about the Iran Hostage Crisis

"In effect, Connally and Casey were telling the Iranians not to do something the Iranians had no intention of doing."

I Resigned from the Carter Center over "Apartheid" Charge; I was Wrong

by Steve Berman

American supporters of Israel have blamed the former president as a messenger about the consequences of the occupation; it's time to consider the message. 

Jimmy Carter Made Me a Better American; Did He Help Make America Worse?

by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Carter's call for a "moral revival" aimed at replacing materialism with collective purpose. His successors easily twisted that to make materialism into a collective purpose. 

The Carter Presidency Wasn't How we Remember It

by Kai Bird

While he was pessimistic about the moral quality of politics, a biographer says that the 39th president was capable of ruthless pragmatism that helped him achieve more than he is credited for, though it cost him reelection. 

Beinart: Some of Carter's Critics Should Apologize While they Can

by Peter Beinart

Peter Beinart says that Jimmy Carter's 2007 book "Peace Not Apartheid" had flaws, but many of its harshest critics ignored whether its claims about the Israeli occupation were factual and leaped to insinuation and outright accusation that Carter was motivated by antisemitism. 

Historians on the Biden-Carter Comparison

by Olivia B. Waxman

Meg Jacobs, Gregory Brew and Kai Bird discuss the similar economic and international contexts of the two presidencies, and suggest that Biden may, like Carter, ultimately be more effective than he is given credit for. 

How Protesters Pushed Jimmy Carter to Support Disability Rights

by Matthew Rozsa

While Carter campaigned on pledges to support the demands of the disabled for fuller participation in American society, he didn't fulfill those problems without a strong push from protesters in the movement. 

Afghanistan's Lesson: Plan for What Happens After Russia Leaves Ukraine

by Aaron Brown

Expelling Russian forces through military aid would be a victory for the US and NATO, but not a final one. 

Government Regulation is Necessary, but it has to be Smart

by Paul Sabin

Two legislative initiatives championed by the Carter administration show the challenge of balancing strong environmental regulation with administrative efficiency and accountability. The balance has, of course, been difficult to strike. 

Can Biden Avoid Carter's Biggest Blunder?

by Meg Jacobs

“I’ll give it to you straight,” Carter said. “Each one of us will have to use less oil and pay more for it.” This arguably sensible position was disastrous politics. Can Biden do more to encourage conservation while acknowledging the economic pain fuel prices inflict?

A Famed Folk Singer Won a Presidential Pardon after Molesting a Child. Did He Prey on Others?

Jimmy Carter's pardon of singer Peter Yarrow for sexual assault against a minor was overshadowed by the Iranian hostage crisis. Did he victimize others? (Content Advisory)

Fritz Mondale and Decency

by Kai Bird

Jimmy Carter thought the vice presidency was "a wasted national asset." He gave Walter Mondale the charge and the freedom to redefine the role. 

Walter F. Mondale and the Creation of the New Vice Presidency

by Joel K. Goldstein

Walter Mondale worked with Jimmy Carter to redefine the vice presidency from a stepping stone to a key public servant, and infused this new role with compassion. 

Trump’s Voter Fraud Yarn is Unraveling. But it can Still Help the GOP

Rick Perlstein suggests that the Republicans' unwillingness to condemn Trump's wild theories about a stolen election are part of a historical pattern of fear that if the electorate expands Republicans will be lose. The theories won't overturn this election, but they will be used to justify future restrictions on the ballot.

How Jimmy Carter Kept Me Sane

by Jonathan Alter

"I wrote my Carter biography during the toxic Trump years. The Georgian’s kindness and honesty are an inspiration for me and should be for America, too."

‘Reaganland,’ by Rick Perlstein: An Excerpt

'Reaganland: America's Right Turn, 1976-1980' is available now.