Jimmy Carter, Champion of Human Rights in Foreign Policy

The funeral of former US President Jimmy Carter, on the eve of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, highlights his significant yet underappreciated efforts to make human rights the cornerstone of US foreign policy. Carter’s advocacy for human rights through his presidency (1979–1981) and later through the Carter Center exemplified his commitment to global democracy.

This emphasis on human rights contrasted sharply with the policies of Trump, who during his National Intelligence Director’s confirmation ceremony, famously criticized the “Deep State,” indirectly acknowledging the very personnel and principles promoted by Carter.

Carter reversed long-standing policies that had sidelined human rights in US foreign relations. While Harry Truman’s early presidency saw human rights as a major component of US foreign policy, the administrations of Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford marked a retreat. These leaders backed military coups that overthrew democratic governments around the world.

Carter’s rise to the presidency was fueled by public outrage over President Ford’s comments in a 1976 debate, in which he referred to Warsaw Pact dictatorships in Eastern Europe as “free.” Ford’s defense of US involvement in the overthrow of Chile’s democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, also hurt his credibility. Carter’s human rights focus was a sharp departure from this era.

Truman’s human rights policies played a crucial role in the post-World War II reconstruction of Europe and Japan, as well as in the Western Hemisphere. These efforts included the Marshall Plan and support for democratic movements in Guatemala and El Salvador, and the US’s alliance with the Iranian government of Mohammad Mosaddegh, whose oil nationalization provoked British-backed efforts to depose him.

Eisenhower, however, eroded the US’s commitment to human rights through interventions that served business interests in countries like Guatemala and Iran. His covert support for a coup in Guatemala against President Juan José Arévalo, backed by the United Fruit Company, led to long-lasting corruption and civil war. Similarly, his involvement in the overthrow of Iran’s secular government, which saw the return of the Shah and the rise of Islamic extremism, left a lasting negative legacy.

Carter’s belief in human rights in foreign policy was reinforced by his handling of the Iran hostage crisis, where the future Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini played a pivotal role. Carter also supported Iran’s last Prime Minister, Shapour Bakhtiar, whose government was overthrown by the revolution.

In Latin America, Carter’s foreign policy marked a dramatic shift. By 1979, all but two countries in the region were under brutal dictatorships that received substantial US military aid. Under Carter, annual US military aid to these regimes fell sharply from $210 million to $59 million. His administration also blocked economic assistance and introduced annual human rights reports from the State Department.

Carter chose Uruguay as a test case for promoting democratic transitions in the region. Military aid to the Uruguayan dictatorship was eliminated, and Carter worked through the US embassy to support democratic opposition. Although Uruguay’s dictatorship remained in power for several more months, Carter’s policies contributed to a referendum that led to the country’s transition to democracy in 1980. Julio María Sanguinetti, Uruguay’s first democratically elected president, later credited Carter’s human rights stance for helping opposition forces during the dictatorship.

Although Carter’s defeat by Ronald Reagan was partly due to criticism of his human rights policies, his foreign policy laid the groundwork for future democracy-promoting efforts. Reagan expanded US democracy assistance programs, and these efforts were reinforced under subsequent presidents until Donald Trump’s administration, which reversed many of Carter’s advancements.

Despite criticism from the left, Carter’s legacy in foreign policy is marked by his unwavering commitment to human rights, which reshaped US diplomacy for decades. Trump’s policies, which sought to undermine these principles, stand in stark contrast to Carter’s vision of a world where human rights guide foreign policy.