Jimmy Carter’s Disastrous Foreign Policy

Jimmy Carter’s Foreign Policy was
Disastrous for the Persecuted Church
By Dr. Peter Hammond

Eulogizing a Failed Presidency
The passing away of President Jimmy Carter has led many to consider his “presidential legacy.” Joe Biden claimed that President Carter was a “Role Model!’ Others have declared that Jimmy Carter was: “a Champion of peace, human rights and justice!”

Frontline Fellowship · The Real Story of Jimmy Carter’s Disastrous Foreign Policy Legacy

Eulogizing a Failed Presidency
The passing away of president Jimmy Carter has led many to consider his “presidential legacy.” Joe Biden claimed that president Carter was a “Role Model!’ Others have declared that Jimmy Carter was: “a Champion of peace, human rights and justice!”
And that he ” globalized the human rights movement.” President Ronald Reagan pointed out that Jimmy Carter's foreign policy was Hypocritical as he targeted American allies who were accused of being authoritarian and infringing on human rights (in their fight to protect their countries from communist aggression) while Carter’s administration maintained friendly relations and channeled  vast amounts of US aid to the most totalitarian state on earth, the Soviet Union - where there was no respect for human rights at all!
 
Angola’s Agony
In Africa We do not see Jimmy Carter as a force for peace, human rights or justice at all.. Referring to president Carter, Jonas Savimbi, the leader of UNITA in Angola commented: “it is better to be America's enemy, than to be America's friend. If you are America's enemy, you will probably be bought. If you are America's friend you will certainly be sold!” Jonas Savimbi spoke from personal experience. The pro western Christian Angolans certainly were betrayed by Carter’s US State Department and by the CIA.
 
The Betrayal of the Shah of Iran
The Shah of Iran also testified of the treachery of Jimmy Carter's state department. President Reagan repeatedly stated that America’s misguided policies in Iran caused the fall of the late Shah, calling it an historical stain in American history  Despite the Shah’s 37-year alliance with the U.S. in the Middle East, Carter effectively undermined him [George Bush, January 26, 1979], notably by dispatching General Haig to Iran to incapacitate the military [Richard Nixon, Politique Internationale, Spring 1981]. Carter himself admitted to following the duplicitous advice of U.S. Ambassador Sullivan, a sympathizer of pro-Mossadeq forces [Carter’s Memoirs, 1982, p. 443]. American officials later condemned Carter’s policies as deceitful and Sullivan’s views as dangerously misguided [Schumer, 1980, p. 148]. Years later, Brzezinski acknowledged that the political uprising against the Shah had U.S. backing [Power and Principles, 1983, p. 356], which ultimately led to his removal from power [Kissinger, The Economist, February 10, 1979]. This policy miscalculation not only caused the Shah’s downfall but also plunged Iran into chaos, leaving it a victim of history [Alexander Haig interview]. Carter’s State Department displayed overt hostility toward the Shah [Brzezinski, ibid, p. 355]. The Shah soon realized that neither Carter nor the U.S. had any intention of supporting him, and he described America’s policy as Delusional [Sullivan’s Memoirs, 1981, p. 336]. The Carter administration repeatedly instructed its ambassador to warn the Shah about human rights issues [Encounter Report, November 1984]. History has since recorded Carter’s administration as confused, hypocritical, and paralyzed in the face of Iran’s escalating crisis [Michael Ledeen, Failure in Iran, 1980, p. 231]. At the height of the turmoil, the Shah was abandoned [Nixon, Leaders, 1984, p. 360]. Carter lacked a true understanding of the crisis or its catastrophic consequences. He failed to make sound decisions [Nixon, ibid, p. 312] and did not grasp the irreversible damage his policies caused [Brzezinski, ibid, p. 380]. Sullivan advised Carter to demand the Shah leave Iran immediately and to align with Khomeini [Carter, ibid, p. 443]. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence agencies were disorganized, ignoring one another’s warnings [French Interior Minister, November 6, 1980]. Most notably, the CIA failed to predict the 1979 upheaval or the disastrous rise of the mullahs in Iran, cementing Carter’s role as a key figure in the fiasco. Carter’s policies were unrealistic, clumsy, short-sighted, indecisive, and full of contradictions, causing global repercussions [Shafa, Crime and Punishment, p. 611]. His treatment of the Shah during his illness was inhumane. It was Carter who, among world leaders, quickly deemed Khomeini a “sacred” figure, describing him as a religious and moderate leader. The ties between Khomeini and Carter before 1979 became clear to all [BBC Report, May 21, 2016].
 
Death Knell
The Iranian Tose’eh newspaper later published an interview with French President Giscard d’Estaing, who said, “The U.S. rang the death knell for the Shah’s rule because Carter had no hope for the regime’s survival” [Tose’eh, September 23, 1998]. When Khomeini orchestrated the hostage crisis, Carter first wrote a pleading letter and then resorted to prayers [Jody Powell’s Memoirs, 1984, p. 44]. Though he later sent a rescue mission, it ended in disastrous failure. While the German GSG9 successfully rescued all of their hostages in Somalia, and while the Israelis rescued their hostages in in Entebbe, Uganda. Yet the Americans failed to rescue their hostages in Iran. Respect for America under Carter plummeted to unprecedented depths.
 
Populist Moralising
Carter’s moralizing, cloaked in populism, often bordered on naivety [Time, May 10, 1976]. He claimed to act in the name of God [Herald Tribune, April 1976] but appeared out of touch with reality [Ledeen, ibid]. The late Shah harshly criticized Carter, admitting that his gravest mistake was following U.S. advice, which led to the release of murderous terrorists who later orchestrated more violence [Washington Post, June 22, 1980]. The Shah astutely questioned the American ambassador, Sullivan, asking, “Why is the CIA so intensely active against me?” [Sullivan, ibid, 1981, p. 156].
 
Carter’s Catastrophe
The Shah foresaw the devastating catastrophe that was unfolding. Carter, wielding his political and intelligence apparatus, deliberately supported opposition forces to pressure the Shah. Later, the CIA Director confirmed the Shah’s concerns, stating, “Had we shown more vigilance, America’s policy during Iran’s turmoil could have been different” [Turner, Newsweek, March 5, 1979].
Carter’s presidency was marked by indecision and weakness. His administration was a series of contradictions, errors, and incompetence, leading to global distrust in both his government and U.S. foreign policy [Shafa, ibid, p. 624].
 
Obama & Biden followed Jimmy Carter's Disastrous Doctrine in the Middle East
American authors have frequently criticized Carter’s populist and controversial behavior [Ronald Kessler, Presidential Secret Service, Chapter on Carter, 2003]. While Carter is now gone, his policies live on in what can be described as “Carter 2” (Obama) and “Carter 3” (Biden) regarding the Islamic Republic. Perhaps his death will mark the end of these misguided policies and their dark legacy. Yet, the world first faced the rise of Islamic radicalism during Carter’s era, and the failed battle against terrorism continues to this day. Interestingly, Jimmy Carter authored: “our Endangered Values” in which he criticizes President George Bush’s disastrous wars in the Middle East, which actually were following the Carter doctrine which he established in regarding the Persian Gulf as a vital US interest requiring military intervention to maintain the status quo!

Ideas Have Consequences
US Foreign Policy often affects believers in Africa and the Middle East: some eulogies of Jimmy Carter have claimed that even small acts can change the world and that Jimmy Carter's actions touched many lives. Of course, that is true and in Jimmy Carter's case disastrously so. His intentions may have been good, but the consequences have been consistently catastrophic. It was Jimmy Carter's government meddling in Afghanistan, early in 1979, that provoked the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in Christmas of that year. American involvement in Afghanistan since then has become increasingly counterproductive and disastrous, especially for the local population.
 
Giving away The Panama Canal
it was Jimmy Carter who decided to give away the Panama Canal, which the United States had built at the cost of many lives and which America had paid a fortune for many times over. And continues to pay a fortune for in shipping fees while communist China has moved in to seize control over this vital and strategic naval shipping chokepoint.
 
A Trail of Betrayal
During the 4 years of the presidency of Jimmy Carter, 13 countries fell to communism. Including Nicaragua where Carters administration betrayed the longtime American ally. In most cases, these nations did not just fall to communism but were actually betrayed into the hands of communist revolutionaries as a result of Carters treacherous and inconsistent globalising of human rights campaign. It was a high foreign policy goal of Jimmy Carter's presidency to force the people of Rhodesia to hand over to Robert Mugabe's Red Chinese trained and armed ZANU terrorists.
 
A Legacy of Oppression
Americans removed Jimmy Carter from the presidency over 44 years ago. However, the long-suffering people of Zimbabwe are still stuck with Carter's legacy in the form of Robert Mugabe's murderous Marxist ZANU dictatorship. Just as the long-suffering people of Iran are still oppressed by the ayatollahs.
​
A Legacy of Liberty
No countries fell to communism during the 8 years of Ronald Reagan's presidency. In fact, countries started to be freed from communist oppression. Ronald Reagan put freedom on the offensive, supported resistance movements in communist countries and helped win the Cold War that brought down the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain. The collapse of communism throughout Eastern Europe, in 1989, brought about a new era of religious freedom and Missionary activity that had previously been inconceivable.
 
Strength and Weakness
As one politician observed: "There is nothing they despise more than weakness; there is nothing they respect more than strength!" America was plainly despised in the days of Jimmy Carter. However, America was respected under Ronald Reagan.
 
Persecution Increases
During the Clinton era, we witnessed and experienced a steady increase of violent persecution of Christians in the Muslim world. It was in the 1990s that radical Islamic regimes, such as the National Islamic Front in Sudan, began systematic terror bombing campaigns of churches, hospitals and schools. It was at that time that I experienced artillery and aerial bombardments while ministering in churches in Sudan.
 
A Dramatic Decline of Bombings
However, as America began fighting back after the terror attacks of September 11th, 2001, toppling the radical Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the bombing of churches in Northern Nigeria and South Sudan stopped. We enjoyed a period of relative peace and stability as radical Muslim regimes went on the defensive.
 
An Explosion of Persecution
However, after Obama became president of the USA, there was an unmistakable escalation of violent attacks on Christians worldwide, particularly in the Muslim Middle East. Literally hundreds of churches have been bombed and burned throughout Northern Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan and Iraq in the last 4 years. Just in Northern Nigeria alone, there were over 1000 attacks on churches (with 17,000 Christians killed) by Boko Haram Jihadist terrorists, just in a five-year period from 2010 to 2015.
 
Worst President of all time competition
at a Biblical Worldview Conference in Colorado in 2010, One of the speakers claimed that Barack Hussein Obama was the worst president in American history. During discussion time I've ventured to challenge this, pointing out that it may turn out to be so, but he had only been in power for less than two years. Had he considered the trail of treachery of President Jimmy Carter? While I was cataloguing some of Carter’s foreign policy catastrophes, Doctor David Noebel walked up and put his hand on my shoulder: “Peter, you are wrong! When it comes to damage done no president was worse than Franklin Delano Roosevelt: at Yalta, he betrayed the whole of Eastern Europe and ultimately 1/3 of the world's population under the most oppressive dictatorship in history, the Soviet Union!” From the back of the hall a loud voice rang out: “and it all began with Abraham Lincoln!” Another person suggested that Woodrow Wilson should also be considered as a serious candidate for one of the worst presidents in American history and he introduced federal income tax, the Federal Reserve Bank, dragged America into the First World War and played a leading role in launching the League of Nations!
 
Sowing the seeds of civil war in South Sudan
On the 9th of July 2011, the youngest country in the world was born, South Sudan. This was a major answer to an extraordinary campaign of prayer and action which I was intimately involved in. This included writing and publishing Three editions of Faith Under Fire in Sudan, taking in several film crews who produced films such as Sudan: the Hidden Holocaust, Terrorism and Persecution and Three Days in Sudan. I also conducted over 1200 meetings within Sudan and more than 1000 public meetings and radio and TV interviews internationally to promote the independence of South Sudan. Everyone expected the newly independent South Sudan to be declared a Christian country. However, ex-president Jimmy Carter managed to persuade the new president of South Sudan to resist all calls from his own citizens to include Christian amendments to the constitution and prayer in parliament. Carter used his elder statesman status to insist that South Sudan must be constituted as a secular state! Worse than that he sowed the seeds for the civil war in South Sudan by demanding that president Salva Kiir include his archrival Riek Machar in his government as his vice president. But Machar was much more than a rival, he was a surrogate for the national Islamic front government of Sudan. Machar and his SSIM army had been supplied by the Sudan Armed Forces of dictator Omar Al Bashir. Machar’s SSIM actually killed more of the South Sudanese civilians, committed more atrocities and slaughtered more of the cattle, caused more scorched earth devastation then even the NIF regime of the Sharia law enforcing Sudan government! At the 1st anniversary of independence in South Sudan, the president, Kiir, reported that's 5 billion Sudanese pounds was missing from the public treasury. He demanded that these embezzled funds be returned. The next year he could only report on 200,000,000 pounds being returned, so he fired his government. Civil war broke out as Vice President Machar was plainly the guilty party is she controlled the oil revenues which made-up most of the income of South Sudan. Incredibly after a ceasefire was negotiated, The US government again insisted that the kleptomaniac embezzler be reinstated as vice president! This inevitably led to another outbreak of civil war. So, we cannot even say that Carters disastrous foreign policies ended in 1980 with his electoral defeat. He has continued to meddle in international affairs to an unprecedented level for any previous president.
 
American Foreign Policy Affects Lives
Most Americans probably do not think foreign policy when they vote for their president. However, believers in Africa and the Middle East would earnestly entreat our brethren in America to seriously consider the foreign policy implications of their votes. Lives are at stake.
 
Doomed
There is no doubt that millions of people died throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East because of the foreign policies of Jimmy Carter. Tens-of-millions continue to suffer to this day as a result of the Carter foreign policy legacy, including the people in Iran. It needs to be remembered that the Shah of Iran was one of America's closest allies in the Middle East when Jimmy Carter's State Department actively worked to betray their ally and push Iran over to the ayatollahs. The end result of that has yet to be seen as Iran continues to be a volatile part of the extremely violent Middle East.
 
The Arab Spring and ISIS
The devastating so-called Arab Spring launched by the US State department of Barack Hussein Obama toppled stable governments in the Middle East and initiated a wave of destructive riots, revolutions and terrorism that brought the number of Christians in the Middle East down from 15 million in 2010 to less than 10 million by 2020! Obama's Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the Muslim Brotherhood as a force for peace and moderation in the Middle East. This despite the Muslim Brotherhood having been responsible for the very public assassination, in 1981, of President Anwar Sadat of Egypt (who by the way was the real architect of the Camp David peace accords between Egypt and Israel, which Jimmy Carter received credit for). On just one weekend, the Muslim Brotherhood mobilized mobs that burned down over 70 churches in Egypt. Founded and funded by the CIA, ISIS beheaded countless Christians and blew up historic monuments, including the tombs of Daniel and Jonah.
 
Obama was even worse than Carter
During Obama's disastrous presidency a billboard appeared in America with a smiling picture of President Jimmy Carter declaring: “at least I can't be called America's worst president anymore!”
 
Delivered
However, as I wrote in my article: Ronald Reagan Saved Lives in Angola, there are many millions of people alive, and free, today, because of the far-sighted and courageous foreign policies of President Ronald Reagan.
 
An Urgent Call to Prayer and Action
Ideas have consequences. What we sow, we reap. There are consequences for every action. We continue to pray that our Christian brethren in the United States will be in much prayer and seek the wisdom of God as they approach future elections.
 
Back to the Bible for Reformation and Revival
May we all be Faithful to God's Word and effective in His service as we seek to reclaim our countries for Christ, laying solid Biblical foundations for Reformation and earnestly praying for Spiritual Revival. We need to Make Africa Safe Again.
 
RONALD REAGAN SAVED LIVES IN ANGOLA
​As an African, I will always be grateful for the role Ronald Reagan played in saving lives in Angola. In the 1980’s, I made multiple missions into war-torn Angola. At the time, there were over 50 000 Cuban troops in the country. The Communists had attacked and destroyed many churches. MiG-23’s and MI-23 Hind helicopter gunships were terrorising villagers in Angola. I documented numerous of these atrocities, including the strafing of villages, schools and churches.

In 1986 I remember hearing Ronald Reagan’s speech – carried on the BBC Africa service – by short wave radio: “We are going to send stinger missiles to the Unita Freedom Fighters in Angola!” Those who were listening to the SW radio with me looked at one another in stunned amazement. After a long silence as we wondered if our ears had actually heard what we thought we heard, one of us said: “That would be nice!”.
 
We scarcely dared believe that it would happen. But it did. Not long afterwards the stinger missiles began to arrive in Unita controlled Free Angola. Soviet aircraft were shot down. The bombing and strafing of villagers, schools and churches came to an end. Without any doubt, Ronald Reagan’s policies saved many tens of thousands of lives in Angola.
 
​In my photo albums I have numerous pictures of Soviet aircraft shot down in Angola: MI-24 Hind helicopters, MI-8 Hip helicopters, and a MiG-23. They are a reminder of an American President who cared about the people of Angola who were suffering under communist occupation.

Frontline Fellowship · A Critical Analysis of Jimmy Carter's Legacy