The embodiment of US soft power

Jimmy Carter was the first US president to host the Bangladeshi president at the White House in 1980. Photo: Zia Archive

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States (1977-1981), is often regarded as an unsuccessful  president in the country of his birth, having lost his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan in 1980. But he proceeded  to mount arguably the most significant post-White House career of any US president till now—certainly the  busiest. 

And we can say few US presidents won such global acclaim and came to be held in such high regard, as  he did by the end, which came last Sunday (29 December). Another area where he surpassed all other US presidents - he lived to 100, dying just three months past the milestone. 

For Bangladeshis, he holds a special place as he was the first US president to host a Bangladeshi counterpart at  the White House, when President Ziaur Rahman toured the US in 1980. 

During a joint press conference following  the meeting, President Zia said to him: "We are very grateful indeed, Mr President, for your special interest for  the development, the economic development, in Bangladesh, for which, during your period, we have received  full support, and specially in the food sector the support that you have given us, I can assure you that our people  are grateful to the American people and to you, Mr President." 

Carter said in his remarks: "[W]ith the courage and determination of the people of his great country, with a  population of about 90 million, and with tremendous opportunities for economic improvement, President Ziaur  has been in the forefront of making the lives of the Bangladesh citizens better each year." 

He added: "As a member of the United Nations Security Council, Bangladesh played a very important and  statesmanlike role during the difficult months just past. We are deeply grateful that President Ziaur has come  here. We observe with great interest his statement to the United Nations General Assembly, where he called  upon the OPEC nations to provide oil to the poor and developing countries of the world at lower prices and also  encouraged the OPEC nations with their tremendous influx of capital to invest in the developing nations, like  Bangladesh, to provide a better life and employment for the people there." 

He later came to Bangladesh twice during arguably the greatest ex-presidency any US president has enjoyed. 

His first Bangladesh visit was for the inauguration of a rural health project in 1986. Until 1992, The Carter Center  and the Task Force for Child Survival and Development worked in Bangladesh to reduce the incidence of neonatal  tetanus, a primary cause of infant death during the first seven days of life in many countries. 

Carter's second visit to Bangladesh in 2001, on behalf of the Carter Center and the Washington-based National  Democratic Institute (NDI), resulted in "the first serious meeting in years between rivals in upcoming  parliamentary elections, during which they made commitments to ensure a democratic and peaceful election,"  according to the center's own website. 

Established in 1982, two years after Carter lost his bid for a second term, the Carter Center became his signature  effort to promote fair elections as a vehicle for peace. It has sent observers to monitor some 125 elections in 40  countries and three tribal nations, and has been credited with helping expand democracy across the globe. 

Carter's "moral authority, the trust people put in him and the credibility of someone who had both won and lost  an election" contributed to these successes, David Carroll, head of the center's democracy program, told The  Associated Press. 

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for the center's work supporting elections, promoting human  rights and helping developing countries cultivate economic, social and public health institutions. 

He would however remain a one-term president, paying a significant price for his economic record, which  included high inflation, double-digit interest rates, and gasoline shortages. The public mood was exacerbated by  the Iran hostage crisis, following the November 1979 Iranian takeover of the US embassy in Tehran. 

An attempt  to rescue the American hostages in April 1980 failed, although not due to any fault of Carter's. Despite the record  on the economy, he might well have been re-elected had the mission succeeded.

A closer look also reveals Carter accomplished much that will remain notable in the four years he got, from the  handover of the Panama Canal to the Camp David Peace Accords between Egypt and Israel, that still survives  today. 

As Richard Haass puts it: "He focused more on doing good than on doing well. He helped build homes for those  in need. He played a major role in eradicating Guinea worm disease in many countries, which as recently as the  mid-1980s infected millions of people who drank parasite-contaminated water." 

Carter was committed to peace, but he was enough of a realist to adjust to the geopolitical shifts following the  Islamic revolution in Iran in early 1979, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan later that year. Defense spending  increased significantly under him. 

Sanctions were duly introduced under him. New military deployments were  undertaken in Europe. The forerunner of what is today known as Central Command, coordinating US military  forces in the Middle East, was established under him. 

We know the Carter Doctrine still dictates US policy in the wider Middle East, advocating the use of force in  order to defend its interests in the Persian Gulf. Given the entirety of the man's record, which also included  espousal of support for human rights as a component of US foreign policy, Haass finds it difficult to see why  Carter was not held in higher esteem, referring to US circles. 

To the wider world, especially for his post presidency work, he became a symbol of US soft power, and mostly for this reason, history I suspect will not  deny him his rightful place. 

Sketch: TBS

Enayetullah Khan is the Editor-in-Chief United News of Bangladesh (UNB) and DhakaCourier. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.