Carter Center Op-Eds/Speeches – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Carter Center Experts

The Op-Eds and Speeches center provides full texts of speeches and of published opinions written by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and Carter Center experts.

Dec. 10, 2012
Western Hemisphere Can Lead in Human Rights (En espańol)
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter was published by Infobae.com.
As President, I signed the American Convention on Human Rights in June 1977.  Although the United States Senate has not ratified the convention, 25 other countries of the hemisphere did, and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights was born in 1979. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights was created much earlier and incorporated in the OAS Charter in 1967.

Dec. 10, 2012
Videotaped Remarks by Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights
Greetings from Atlanta! Although I could not be with you to celebrate Human Rights Day, I am glad to have this chance to speak with you.

Dec. 4, 2012
Statehood Key to Renew Peace Talks
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter was published by USA Today.
The United Nations General Assembly vote last week that overwhelmingly recognized Palestine as a state could serve as a stepping stone to relaunch the long moribund Middle East peace negotiations.

Oct. 28, 2012
Jimmy Carter to California: Yes on Prop. 34
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter was published by the Los Angeles Times.
The process for administering the death penalty in the United States is broken beyond repair, and it is time to choose a more effective and moral alternative. California voters will have the opportunity to do this on election day.

Oct. 15, 2012
Beneath Chávez's Victory
This op-ed by Jennifer McCoy was published by the Financial Times.
Most English-language commentary has attributed Hugo Chávez's surprising 11-point victory in Venezuela's presidential election on October 7 to oil-fueled public spending and "ventajismo" (incumbent use of state machinery to create an unlevel playing field and impressive mobilization), with some voters induced by fear of losing promised benefits to vote for the president. While all these factors contributed to the outcome, the analyses miss one additional factor explaining Chávez' political longevity.

Oct. 10, 2012
A Third Option in Syria
This op-ed by Robert A. Pastore was published by the Los Angeles Times.
The conflict in Syria was "extremely bad and getting worse." That's what Lakhdar Brahimi, special envoy to Syria for the United Nations and the Arab League and one of the world's most skillful diplomats, told the Security Council in late September. The major powers listened but offered no new ideas on how to end the crisis. We need to change direction.

Sept. 6, 2012
Perspectives on Inter-American Relations
Remarks by Jimmy Carter at the XVI Annual CAF Conference on Latin America in Washington D.C.
President Garcia, Secretary-General Insulza, Dialogoue President Michael Shifter, President Leonel Fernandez, Ladies & Gentlemen: it is an honor and pleasure for me to attend this conference and to give my personal perspective on inter-American relations.

July 4, 2012
Behind Paraguay's Presidential Ouster
This op-ed by Jennifer McCoy was published by InterPress Service.
In Paraguay, like Honduras, very little change has occurred in the gross inequities in land distribution.

June 24, 2012
A Cruel and Unusual Record
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter was published by The New York Times.
The United States is abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights. Revelations that top officials are targeting people to be assassinated abroad, including American citizens, are only the most recent, disturbing proof of how far our nation's violation of human rights has extended.

April 25, 2012
Show Death Penalty the Door
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter was published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
For many reasons, it is time for Georgia and other states to abolish the death penalty. A recent poll showed that 61 percent of Americans would choose a punishment other than the death penalty for murder.

April 24, 2012
War on Drugs: There Has to Be a Better Way
This op-ed by Jennifer McCoy and Kristen Sample was published by the Miami Herald.
The main U.S. headlines coming out of the recent Summit of the Americas in Colombia were a sideshow about Secret Service misconduct and the perennially divisive question of Cuba, while President Obama touted the event as an opportunity to help jumpstart U.S. employment by selling more goods to a dynamic Latin America.

April 23, 2012
President Carter Addresses 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
The key goal for this 12th summit is for Nobel laureates to inspire younger generations. Having been a college professor for thirty years and with four children, 12 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren I have personal experience and responsibilities to advise and educate young Americans. Remember that this is the audience I am addressing in my remarks.

April 12, 2012
Don't Give Up on Mideast Peace
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter was published on nyt.com and a version of it appeared in print on April 13, 2012, in The International Herald Tribune.
The current focus of leaders in Washington and Jerusalem on Iran has obscured the near-death of the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and the inevitable catastrophe toward which Israel is now moving.

Feb. 9, 2012
Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope: A Conversation with President Jimmy Carter
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter presented this speech and participated in a Q&A during the gathering of the World Affairs Coucil in Seattle, Wa., Jan. 31, 2012.
On January 31, the World Affairs Council hosted our biggest event ever, featuring President Jimmy Carter speaking on "Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, and Building Hope." Click here to view footage of the event in full > (Note: President Carter's speech begins at 29:37)

Dec. 15, 2011
Fixing Ailing System Achievable
This op-ed by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter was published Dec. 15, 2011, by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
I became involved in mental health issues in 1966, campaigning for my husband for governor. A newspaper exposé had revealed terrible conditions in our large mental hospital, Central State in Milledgeville, and families of the patients there were frustrated and almost beyond hope that anything could be done to help their loved ones.

Nov. 18, 2011
John Stremlau: Partners Crucial to Nurturing Liberian Democracy
Published Nov. 18, 2011, by Business Day (Johannesburg).
Liberia's fragile democracy suffered several setbacks surrounding last week's presidential run-off that are typical of many post-conflict African countries.

Oct. 19, 2011
Black Cherokees Exercise Hard-Won Right to Vote
This op-ed by Dr. John Stremlau,vice president, Carter Center Peace Programs, was published by CNN.
The Cherokee Nation had difficulty electing its principal chief, so much so that members called in the Carter Center to observe the most recent vote and judge whether it was free and fair. We normally observe elections only in politically troubled countries abroad but believe that the contentiousness and fundamental voting rights issues at stake -- and not just for the Cherokees -- justified this exceptional mission.

Sept. 13, 2011
After the U.N. Vote on Palestine
This op-ed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was published by the International Herald Tribute and NYTimes.com.
In September 1978, Anwar Sadat and Menachim Begin signed the Camp David Accords, following four Arab-Israeli wars in which Egypt had provided the overwhelming military force that threatened the existence of Israel.

Aug. 10, 2011
What Is A Superpower?
This article by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was published in the Winter 2011 issue of Tikkun Magazine.
American military expenditures are now equal to those combined for all other nations, and it is good to know that our nation's defenses against a conventional attack are impregnable. It is also imperative that America remain vigilant against threats from terrorists. But the admirable characteristics of a nation are no more defined by its size and physical prowess than are those of a human being.

July 13, 2011
Remarks by Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the Funeral of Betty Ford
This eulogy was delivered by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the National Tribute to Former First Lady Betty Ford, held July 12, 2011, at Saint Margaret Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, Calif.
Betty Ford was my friend and I'm honored to be here today to help celebrate the life of this truly remarkable woman.  I never imagined when we first met 40 years ago that we would develop such a close and personal friendship.

June 17, 2011
Call Off the Global Drug War
This op-ed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was published June 17, 2011, by The New York Times.
In an extraordinary new initiative announced earlier this month, the Global Commission on Drug Policy has made some courageous and profoundly important recommendations in a report on how to bring more effective control over the illicit drug trade.

May 25, 2011
The Unchanged Path to Mideast Peace
This op-ed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was published May 25, 2011, by the International Herald Tribune and NYT.com.
It was not a new U.S. policy concerning the borders of Israel, nor should it have been surprising to Israeli leaders, when President Obama stated: "The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states."

May 3, 2011
Support The Palestinian Unity Government
This op-ed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was published May 3, 2011, in The Washington Post.
This is a decisive moment. Under the auspices of the Egyptian government, Palestine's two major political movements — Fatah and Hamas — are signing a reconciliation agreement on Wednesday that will permit both to contest elections for the presidency and legislature within a year.

Feb. 16, 2011
Two Vital Steps on Path to Democracy in Egypt
This op-ed by Dr. John Stremlau was published Feb. 16, 2011, by CNN.
The resignation of President Hosni Mubarak was only the first step on what will be a long, difficult path toward genuine democratic governance — one that will need the support of the international community.

Feb. 11, 2011
Credible Elections for Egypt
This op-ed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was published Feb. 11, 2011, by The New York Times/International Herald Tribune.
Even at this point, after the dramatic announcement by the armed forces, no one can predict the ultimate outcome of the Egyptian drama. But there is a clear picture of the existing situation and a few obvious options for the future.

Feb. 2, 2011
South Africa Must Accept That Gbagbo Lost the Election
This op-ed by Dr. John Stremlau was published Feb. 2, 2011, by Business Day.
South Africa may not have vital interests at stake in the Cote d'Ivoire election, but questioning the results certified by the United Nations (UN) risks harming those that do. Most at risk are the long-suffering Ivorian people and their neighbours, who are struggling to deal with a rising tide of refugees as a result of this unnecessary and unjustified crisis over presidential succession.

Jan. 15, 2011
Looking to the Future in Sudan: Dr. Donald R. Hopkins' Letter to the Editor, The New York Times
This letter sent Jan. 11, 2011, by Carter Center Health Programs Vice President Donald R. Hopkins, M.D., M.P.H., is in response to an editorial published Jan. 8, 2011, by The New York Times.
"Southern Sudan Votes" (editorial, Jan. 8) rightly notes that the government of southern Sudan has "set up more than two dozen ministries and built schools and roads" since the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement in 2005.

Dec. 21, 2010
Tutu, Carter: Time to Move on Mideast Peace
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu was published Dec. 21, 2010, by USA TODAY.
For nearly two decades, there have been peace processes in the Middle East but no peace. In recent visits to the region — including Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory — we have heard a consistent message: People want peace but are skeptical about the process and have little faith in the international community to deliver.

Dec. 6, 2010
Progress on Neglected Disease is Moot If We Neglect to Count (PDF)
This op-ed, by Carter Center Health Programs Vice President Donald R. Hopkins, M.D., M.P.H., was published in the Dec. 6, 2010, edition of Nature Medicine. This shortened version of the full magazine is reprinted with permission. The complete issue can be viewed at: http://www.nature.com/nm/index.html.
The recent global campaign launched against a select number of neglected tropical diseases is a welcome development. But we should be as careful about measuring progress toward the control or elimination of these diseases as we are about choosing which ones to target.

Nov. 24, 2010
Listen to North Korea
This op-ed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was published, Nov. 24, 2010, by The Washington Post.
No one can completely understand the motivations of the North Koreans, but it is entirely possible that their recent revelation of their uranium enrichment centrifuges and Pyongyang's shelling of a South Korean island Tuesday are designed to remind the world that they deserve respect in negotiations that will shape their future. Ultimately, the choice for the United States may be between diplomatic niceties and avoiding a catastrophic confrontation.

Nov. 10, 2010
Veterans and Mental Health Care
This op-ed by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., was published in the Nov. 10, 2010 issue of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
This Veterans Day, Americans will pay tribute to our military veterans, the men and women who have returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sept. 29, 2010
Tea Party and Me
This op-ed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was published in the Sept. 29, 2010 issue of USA Today.
A number of readers of my new book have noted parallels between today's frustrated and even angry mood and a similar mood in the mid-1970s. Indeed, in some ways my successful campaign for the presidency in 1976 resembled the Tea Party movement of today.

Sept. 16, 2010
North Korea Wants to Make a Deal
This op-ed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was published in the Sept. 16, 2010, edition of The New York Times.
During my recent travels to North Korea and China, I received clear, strong signals that Pyongyang wants to restart negotiations on a comprehensive peace treaty with the United States and South Korea and on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

July 26, 2010
Africa: World Losing the War on Virulent, Preventable Childhood Diseases
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter and Koffi Annan appeared  in news outlets including AllAfrica.com, Nigeria's Business Day, and UAE National.
Vaccines have saved the lives of millions of children around the world, and have the potential to save millions more in the future as newer vaccines are developed and introduced.

July 13, 2010
Tribute to Dr. Norman Borlaug: Speech by Jimmy Carter, Former US President and Founder, The Carter Center
This speech was presented by President Carter during Sasakawa Africa Association's 2010 Borlaug Symposium, "Taking it to the Farmer." The Symposium was held in honor of the life and achievements of Carter Center Agriculture Program Senior Consultant Dr. Norman Borlaug and discussed the current realities and challenges facing African agriculture, particularly those affecting small-scale farmers and agricultural extensionists.

May 27, 2010
Helping Our Vets Here at Home
This op-ed by Thomas Bornemann was published May 27, 2010, by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
On Memorial Day, families across Georgia recognize the bravery and sacrifices of men and women in the armed forces. Yet, as we remember the fallen, a disturbing trend has become apparent — more and more of our military heroes are losing their lives not in combat, but from the often hidden, emotional wounds of war.

April 28, 2010
Sudan's Imperfect But Important Elections
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter was published April 28, 2010, by the Los Angeles Times.
On Monday, the results of the April 11-15 elections in Sudan were announced: The ruling party's President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir won 68 percent of the vote.

April 6, 2010
Sudan Can Rid World of a Horrible Disease
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter was published April 6, 2010, on CNN.com.
Oppressed by war and poverty for generations, the Sudanese have struggled with terrible hardships. But the people of this vast country have a narrow window of hope to achieve progress by ridding both their nation and the world of a horrible disease forever.

March 30, 2010
A Project for Haiti: The Eradication of Two Diseases
This letter to the editor of the New York Times by Carter Center Vice President for Health Programs Dr. Donald R. Hopkins was published March 30, 2010, in response to the March 28, 2010 editorial "Making Haiti Whole."
Two projects that the donors conference on Haiti should consider this week are the binational plan that Haiti and the Dominican Republic announced last October to eliminate malaria by 2020, and the plan that Haiti announced simultaneously to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) by 2020 (the Dominican Republic expects to eliminate lymphatic filariasis this year).

March 23, 2010
Remarks by Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at Korea University, Seoul, Korea
A Nuclear North Korea and Peace in the Korean Peninsula? My speech will cover three main subjects, and I hope to stimulate some questions from the audience.

Feb. 2, 2010
Jimmy Carter: A Crisis in Sudan
This op-ed by Jimmy Carter was published Feb. 2, 2010, by the Washington Post.
One of the most urgent responsibilities the international community faces is in Sudan, which is facing a renewal of nationwide violence. 

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