Jimmy Carter- Speaking His Peace
By Bret Love
Born and raised in the small town of Plains, where his family has owned land since 1833, Jimmy Carter is arguably among the most accomplished individuals ever to spring from Georgia’s red clay soil. In addition to being the state’s only US president, the former Georgia governor is also a Nobel Peace Prize winner, bestselling author and respected lecturer at Atlanta’s prestigious Emory University.
With the Carter Center recently celebrating 25 years of work spreading democracy, negotiating peace and seeking cures for diseases around the globe, Carter has continued to serve as a world leader. We spoke with the former president, who revealed his thoughts on the city of Atlanta, the state of the nation and the obstacles being faced on the road to world peace.
When you were growing up in Plains, did you ever imagine you'd one day grow up to be President, or did that aspiration come later in life?
Much later. When I was growing up, my highest ambition was to go to the Naval Academy and get a college education. Nobody in my family had ever been to college before. It was during the Great Depression, and my parents knew the only free universities in the nation were Annapolis and West Point. Going to Annapolis was my ambition the whole time I was growing up.
Most U.S. Presidents seem to largely fade from public view after leaving office, yet you seem to have only increased your dedication to furthering the causes of human rights, peace and health worldwide. What is it that drives this passion within you?
I’ve had a wonderful opportunity, challenge and obligation to fulfill the purposes of the Carter Center in Atlanta, which has very specific goals to promote the causes of world peace, democracy, freedom, human rights and the alleviation of suffering. The work of the center has been the avenue through which I’ve continued to maintain my interest and involvement in international affairs.
The Carter Center recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and has achieved quite a
lot over the past quarter-century. Is there any particular accomplishment of which you are proudest?
I think the work of the Carter Center demonstrates in the most vivid way the finest ideals that make all Americans proud. We promote the basic concepts of peace, negotiate to prevent and end wars, spread democracy and freedom by monitoring 68 elections on all the major continents, help to control or eradicate six diseases in the world, and promote mental health, and we also have a strong agriculture program through which we’ve taught about eight million families how to grow more food grain.
What do you think the rest of humanity can learn from your experiences?
The major thing I’ve learned is the character of the people we try to help. These are the poorest, most isolated, most neglected people in the world. And in dealing with literally millions of them, I’ve learned that they’re just as intelligent and ambitious and hard working as I am, with family values that are just as good as mine.
So would you say that the only thing separating us is the level of opportunity?
That’s correct.
The Carter Center is located near the heart of Atlanta. What are your feelings on the city's explosive growth over the past 25 years?
I’ve really been pleased and surprised. The state [population] has almost doubled in size since I was governor, and Atlanta has doubled in size, expanding in every direction. So I’m thrilled that Georgia has continued to progress while maintaining a high quality of life.
What are the characteristics that, in your eyes, make Atlanta special when compared to the many other major metropolitan cities you have visited over the course of your world travels?
I don’t think there’s any doubt that Atlanta has maintained a high standard of Southern hospitality. The extreme flexibility of the city’s cultural and economic life have made it possible to get involved in almost any profession here. The diversity of life, from the mountains to the Atlantic coast beaches, provide Georgia residents with an opportunity not only to earn a living, but to have a pleasant environment in which to live. Atlanta’s foundation for economic prosperity has almost always been transportation, and the airport, railroad and highway system have made it a natural center for commerce and trade. I hope we can continue to put the preservation of our natural resources at a high priority.
A lot of Americans have grown frustrated with our political system in the years since the controversial 2000 election. What would you say to those disillusioned U.S. citizens who feel that their votes don't matter?
Our votes do matter, and it’s a tragedy how few people in America actually vote. We monitor elections in countries where 90% of the people vote, and half the registered voters are in line when the polls open early in the morning. In the US, we often have less than 35% of registered voters going to the polls to choose our leaders.
Given your remarkable success with revamping the voting process and promoting democracy in Third World nations, what fixes might you suggest for the problems with the American electoral system?
After the 2004 election, former Secretary of State James Baker and I made recommendations on how our electoral system can be improved. We don’t have any central system for controlling elections; we essentially have over 400 different electoral systems, with each county having control. We have too much influence of money. In most countries, everyone who qualifies to seek office has guaranteed equal access to the news media, whereas in our country you have to buy TV and radio time, which is extremely expensive. Over the last 20 years or so, an excessive amount of that is negative advertisement, trying to destroy the reputation and character of your opponent. This has caused sharp divisions between Democrats and Republicans after the elections are over, and all that negativity condemning your opponent tends to make people think neither candidate is worthy of trust. Those things didn’t exist when I ran for office.
What do you think President Obama needs to do to instill confidence in our citizens, and to smooth the diplomatic bumps in our international relations?
They need to elevate the peaceful resolution of differences that are inevitably going to exist to a top priority, and make sure we communicate with people who disagree with us. We need to comply with international law. We need to protect human rights. We need to honor the agreements that have been reached in the past concerning the control of nuclear weapons. We need to preserve the environment. We need to make sure we have fair systems of justice and taxation so that working-class people get fair treatment… We need to cling to the values that have made this country great over the last 200-plus years.
In your eyes, what is the single biggest obstacle on the road to global peace, and what can we as individuals do to conquer it?
I think the most powerful nations on earth, and certainly the United States, need to set the preservation of peace as a very high priority and avoid wars unless our own security is directly threatened. We need to give a higher priority to mediation and negotiation of conflicts that exist between other countries that might lead to military action, and let every nation know that if they have a problem that might lead to a civil war, they can turn to Washington for help in preserving the peace.
In the years since you've left public office, as you've watched world events unfold, has there ever been a part of you that longs to be back in the thick of U.S. politics again?
Not really. I think I have a role to play that’s much more gratifying to me, and maybe even much more effective, in the work of the Carter Center. We maintain a very strong and positive presence in over 70 nations around the world, among the poorest and most needy people on earth, and we’re deeply involved in international affairs. So I don’t think that I could possibly find a better opportunity to have an adventurous, gratifying, unpredictable and exciting life.
Plus, you don’t have to run every move you make by a few hundred congressmen.
(Laughs) No, that’s right. We’re pretty much independent, but we’re very careful to comply with political proprieties.
You and your wife recently stepped down from active fundraising for the Carter Center. How will that affect your personal efforts on the Center's behalf, and what is your personal dream for the Center's next 25 years?
Rosa and I are still trustees, and ultimately I still make the final decisions about the Carter Center. But the management of the Board of Trustees and the details of the operation of the center, thank goodness, are not mine anymore. I would hope that the center would stay independent, flexible, idealistic and willing to take a chance if a project seemed worthwhile. I hope that we’ll reach out and get as many partners as possible to join us in worthy projects, and continue to be willing to let other people get credit when successes are realized. And I sincerely hope that the basic principles of morality, idealism and human rights will still prevail.
(originally appeared in AirTran's GO Magazine)
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