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Jimmy Carter was the 39th [[President of the United States of America]] following [[Gerald Ford]] and preceding [[Ronald Reagan]]. He was a [[Democrat]] who served from 1977-1981, after being the Governor of Georgia. He is widely considered by conservatives to be among the worst presidents in history. His incompetence in office helped lead to the election of [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1980 and the triumph of the modern conservative movement. His presidency featured [[stagflation]], energy crisis, the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, support for the [[Equal Rights Amendment]] and, worst of all, the taking of American citizens as hostages by [[Iran]]. Carter personally opposed abortion but only recently, more than 25 years after his presidency, expressed his opposition in public.

Jimmy Carter was the 39th [[President of the United States of America]] following [[Gerald Ford]] and preceding [[Ronald Reagan]]. He was a [[Democrat]] who served from 1977-1981, after being the Governor of Georgia. He is widely considered by conservatives to be among the worst presidents in history. Although conversely, his incompetence in office led to the election of [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1980 and the maturation of the modern conservative movement. During his presidency he experienced many trying problems such as [[stagflation]], energy crisis, and, worst of all, the taking of American citizens as hostages by [[Iran]].  

Despite the shortcomings of his presidency, Carter has remained one of the most active ex-presidents of modern times. His continued work mediating international disputes, organizing election observations, and working with organizations on disease and hunger were cited when he was awarded the 2002 [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]]. In his Nobel lecture given upon reciept of the honor Carter showed his thinking now parallels his predessors more so than when he supplanted collective security concerns with a human rights policy when he originally took office.  As Carter noted in his Nobel Lecture:

Carter did secure a lasting peace between Egypt and Israel in 1979, but at the expense of providing many billions of dollars in new American foreign aid annually simply to obtain agreement to that deal.

 

Carter has been active in foreign affairs after his presidency, breaking a tradition for ex-presidents to stay out of politics. His continued work mediating international disputes, organizing election observations, and working with organizations on disease and hunger were cited when he was awarded the 2002 [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]]. In his Nobel lecture, Carter declared his support for "international law":

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