Nunn School Reflects on President Carter’s Legacy

Nunn School Reflects on President Carter’s Legacy

Published 01/13/2025 - A Lasting Legacy in the Middle East

"President Carter will be remembered for brokering the Camp David Accords between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, bringing peace between the Middle East’s two most important rivals at the time. The fruits of President Carter’s personal interest and presidential commitment to brokering this deal has left a lasting legacy in the Middle East. The Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty solidified a transformation of the Middle East and laid the groundwork for subsequent peace treaties and diplomatic ties in the region between Arab states and Israel."

– Lawrence Rubin, associate professor, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs

Diplomatic Triumphs

"President Carter had profound though often under-appreciated diplomatic successes. Aside from the Camp David Accord between Egypt and Israel, his decision to complete the establishment of diplomatic relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the United States in 1979 was truly momentous. He finished the bipartisan American effort to bring China into the international community and in doing so took a critical step toward the ending of the Cold War. He also ensured American moral values and international obligations through the Taiwan Relations Act. The rest, as the cliché goes, is history. Carter’s foreign policy, as well as his long life of public service, both in and outside of government offices, has amply exemplified his principled, unyielding, and undying commitment to human rights, pursuit of justice, and doing good. He literally opened China to the world and started that nation’s historic rise over the past four decades. He was also unafraid of criticizing Beijing’s bad deeds, for which he was often, especially in the recent decade, disliked and even shunned by ungrateful Chinese leaders. For that, this great Georgian deserves the highest respect the Chinese people could ever bestow any foreign leader."

–  Fei-Ling Wang, professor, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs

International Affairs and Nuclear Non-Proliferation

"While Carter’s record on international affairs is relatively short, it is also consequential. A legacy of successful negotiations including those at Camp David that brought peace to Israel and Egypt is often marred in historical memory by dual crises over oil and hostages. Less well remembered are Carter’s positive contributions to the nuclear nonproliferation regime both during and after his presidency. Two particularly salient examples come to mind. 

First, during his tenure as President, Carter orchestrated the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) II between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. This second Cold War arms control treaty limited myriad delivery vehicle types and restricted the overall deployed nuclear forces both sides possessed. As one of a successive number of arms control treaties and negotiations, SALT II was an important step towards improving the security of the Cold War’s antagonists and stabilizing otherwise pernicious arms racing dynamics.

Second, and long after departing the Oval Office, Carter helped de-escalate a crisis on the Korean Peninsula. In June 1994, Carter met with North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung amid a tense standoff between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's imminent processing of spent nuclear fuel — one crucial step toward creating nuclear weapons. Carter won a pledge from Kim to freeze his country's nuclear program in exchange for energy aid from the United States. This development eventually led to the Agreed Framework, a deal that halted North Korea’s march to weapons. Beyond simply delaying North Korea’s weapons acquisition for over a decade, the deal prevented the Clinton administration from ordering a costly military intervention to forestall North Korean nuclearization – something Clinton nearly did, but for the 11th-hour intervention by Carter. 

Today, the United States faces a belligerent North Korea armed with an advanced nuclear arsenal and the deterioration of the Cold War arms control regime — making the world a more dangerous place with increased salience of nuclear weapons. Jimmy Carter deserves credit for deepening and advancing the U.S. record as a nuclear non-proliferation leader beginning fifty years ago. We would be wise to honor his legacy and follow in his footsteps moving forward." 

– Rachel Whitlark, associate professor, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs 

Moral and Political Courage in Action

"Jimmy Carter made an indelible impact on Georgia, our nation, and the world. He had an abundance of courage: moral, physical, political, spiritual, and intellectual. He set an example of integrity bolstered by his strong faith and evidenced by his servant leadership and good works. He was a fearless peacemaker and a champion of human rights, who inspired us to strive for dignity, respect and fairness to all.

He had a spine of steel and intrepid focus and determination. Colin Powell and I had front row seats to these unique Carter traits in Haiti in 1994. I will never forget nervously watching President Carter negotiate every word of the Haitian military’s peaceful turnover of authority, while the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne prepared to land on the roof of the military headquarters, where we were finishing the agreement.  

Carter was a remarkable human being and a remarkable leader, and he had a remarkable partner in Rosalynn. Colleen and I cherish our many years of friendship, and we send our deepest condolences to the entire Carter family.”

– Sam Nunn, former U.S. Senator and Distinguished Professor of the Practice, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs