I must note Carter did not observe the Zimbabwe election that has been condemned as out and out theft by Mugabe. Now, because of the confiscation of white farms and the displacement of their workers, famine has gripped the country and terrorism is the order of the day. Carter has a strange way of choosing his causes.
Carter s Arab Ties May Color Israel Stance*** But it's the financing behind Georgia's Carter Center and the Jimmy Carter Library that moves the former president most off the mark as appearing to be a wholly neutral intermediary in the troubled region. NewsMax has reviewed annual reports that indicate millions of charitable dollars have flowed into the center from His Majesty Sultan Qaboss bin Said Al Said of Oman, Jordan; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and the Government of the United Arab Emirates.**
May 9, 2002 - Jeff Jacoby: Cuba's jailed heroes*** Chaviano refused to be intimidated. Government goons broke into his home and beat him up. Still he persisted in speaking out. Early in the morning of May 7, 1994, a man he didn't know came to his door, delivered a sheaf of papers, and left. Moments later, the security police raided the house. They made a great show of finding the planted document, which they seized as ''evidence.'' Chaviano was arrested and held for nearly a year before learning that he would be charged with ''revealing state secrets'' and ''illicit enrichment.''
His trial was a farce. It was closed to the public, but the courtroom was packed with state security agents. Chaviano was not allowed to see the evidence against him or to call witnesses in his own defense. His conviction was a foregone conclusion; his sentence was 15 years. That was eight years ago. Today he is locked in the maximum-security Combinado del Este prison; his wife is permitted to visit him once every two months. His health has deteriorated - he suffers from an ulcer and respiratory problems - but his ideals remain intact. ''His spirit is strong,'' his wife told me recently. ''He gives me strength.''***
More Carter***Significantly more strife around the world existed when Jimmy Carter left office than when he entered it. Carter's hypocrisy in criticizing Bush's Middle East policy is amazing. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Carter is no expert on Middle Eastern affairs.
He ushered out the pro-U.S. Shah of Iran. And ushered in one of the most despicable, despotic world leaders - Ayatollah Khomeini. Iran's been in the throes of Islamic fundamentalism ever since, courtesy of Carter. Not to mention that - thanks to Jimmy Carter - Iran is one of the most unstable forces in the Middle East, second perhaps only to Saddam Hussein's Iraq, whose military arsenal and nuclear weapons capabilities Carter allowed to be developed. All of those terrorist attacks over the past two decades against American civilians and military fomented by the Iranian "government" and its Hezbollah buddies - thank Jimmy Carter for those. Remember the Americans held hostage in Iran? Another crown jewel of Carter's Middle East "legacy."
In 1979, Carter brought about that historic Camp David Peace Accord handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. But where is the peace? It was the beginning of years of worse terror than the region has ever seen, worse today than ever - both against U.S. servicemen and Israelis. And Egyptian Hosni Mubarak has announced, time and again, that he is not bound whatsoever by the Camp David agreement. So much for Carter's peace in the Middle East, where Yasser Arafat has begun his policy of brutally killing a Jew a day. This didn't happen before Carter started them down the road to "peace." More like piece - of paper.
But Jimmy felt good about it, and so did the Nobel committee. In Jimmy's world of diplomacy, that's all that matters. Not actual positive results.
Carter cautioned Bush not to neglect Africa. But Carter did. He allowed Communist forces in Angola to take over. He allowed Moammar Gadhafi to solidify power in Libya and make it a terrorist-host nation. All while his brother, beer entrepreneur and Good Ole Boy, Billy, took a $220,000 "loan" from the Libyan government to lobby for American transport planes and favorable U.S. policy for Libyan oil. Carter sat by, as Arab Muslims running Sudan continued to enslave, torture, rape, and murder millions of Black Christians. ***