Former US president Jimmy Carter dies
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: Former US president Jimmy Carter, the country’s longest living leader, has died aged 100.
The context: Carter entered the Oval Office in 1977 promising to reestablish trust in politics after the Watergate scandal prompted Richard Nixon’s resignation. He served a single term, suffering one of US history’s most comprehensive defeats to Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Carter established the Department of Energy and the Department of Education, and was known for his opposition to segregation and issuing sweeping pardons for Vietnam draft evaders.
On the international stage, he built on the work of previous administrations to establish full diplomatic relations with China, while also striking a deal to place the Panama Canal under Panamanian authority. He was central to brokering a 1979 peace deal between Israel and Egypt, which formally ended conflict between the two.
However, his administration was confronted with ‘stagflation’ before the 444-day Iran hostage crisis, which began under his leadership, helped turn voters against him.
Carter’s legacy was especially defined by his post-presidency charity work, with the former president becoming a global humanitarian leader.
He passed away on Monday as the first US president to reach 100 years of age, after deciding to enter palliative care in his home state of Georgia in February.
What they said: “President Carter taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service,” former president Barack Obama said in a statement.
The source: The New York Times
