The Carter Doctrine Unraveled: From the Panama Canal to Hostage Diplomacy

“The failure of the Carter administration's foreign policy is now clear to everyone except its architects, and even they must entertain private doubts, from time to time, about a policy whose crowning achievement has been to lay the groundwork for a transfer of the Panama Canal from the United States to a swaggering Latin dictator of Castroite bent,” Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, Dictatorships and Double Standards (1982).

When a politician dies, the truth often becomes a casualty. This has been evident in the case of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. For many in my generation, particularly Republicans, Carter’s presidency was seen as detrimental to America, both at home and abroad.

One of the enduring consequences of the Carter administration was relinquishing control of the Panama Canal to a nation ill-equipped for the job. And what was the price for this disgrace? One dollar. His supporters hailed it as a move to make things “right” in a different era. Hogwash.

For decades since, America has faced challenges from foreign powers such as Communist China, which has strategically exploited the Panama Canal for economic and geopolitical advantage. This debacle was emblematic of the Carter administration’s globalist worldview, a perspective that shaped foreign policy in ways that have not served America well. The Panama Canal is just one of many examples.

After leaving office, Carter dedicated his time to humanitarian work, but also to sanitizing the legacies of figures like the Castro brothers in Cuba and other violators of human rights—regimes in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and elsewhere that harbored deep animosity toward the United States.

Carter’s globalist overtures, including his support for the Cuban Communist Revolution, undermined liberty and human rights across Latin America and the Caribbean. What Jimmy Carter started, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama continued. And where were the Republicans during these decades? Mostly out to lunch. In some cases, they even helped.