The Carter Center

Waging Peace..Fighting Disease..Building Hope

By placing emphasis on the alleviation of human suffering and the commitment to human rights, the Atlanta-based organization has paved the way for nonpartisan dispute resolution. Since 1982, The Carter Center has worked to improve the quality of life in over 70 countries by not duplicating the effective efforts of others.

As an intern in the Peace Program, work is concentrated in what is know as the Peace Pavilion. The circular building is divided into five programs: Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, Democracy, The Americas and China. Working collaboratively with staff and other interns, emphasis is placed on the access to information and dialog. Weekly mid-day lectures, known as the Brown Bag Lunch Series, invites intellectuals and practitioners from diverse fields to talk to staff and interns. The presence of former Presidential aides, still working for Jimmy Carter, intertwines governmental and nongovernmental visionaries working towards social justice.

Several organized retreats provide the opportunity for interns to get to know each other. Each semester, the interns travel to Plains, Georgia to visit the Carter family peanut farm, now a national park commemorating the unusual lifestyle of a farmer turned president. The picture above was taken during a lecture by President Carter, telling the interns what life was life in the rural south during the Great Depression. It is surprising to know that the humble former President will rarely ever mention that he is a Nobel Laureate, or a liberation theologian who gives a sermon every week while in Plains at the Maranatha Baptist Church.

Carter addresses the summer interns at the Maranatha Baptist Church

The controversy surrounding his most recent publication, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, has led to much criticism. His appearance at the 2008 Democratic National Convention is said to have compromised his authority as a former president, due to his efforts earlier this year to meet with Hamas leaders in Palestine and Syria. Instead of being allowed to address the delegates at the Convention, he was shown in a 3 minute documentary talking about Hurricane Katrina, followed by a 90 second ovation on the Convention floor.

To understand his work, his vision for democracy, and as a human rights defender, a recent article published in the New York Magazine, entitled Who's Afraid of Jimmy Carter?, portrays Jimmy Carter as a visionary who is more attractive to young generations now, then while he was in the White House. In the article, author Amy Wilentz writes,

"What’s most interesting about Carter at the age of 83 is not that he’s an eccentric, or that he’s outspoken, or that he continues to be a part of the debate, but that his mind-set and his policies seem to jibe so well with the attitudes of young people, students, and the blogosphere."

His provocative approach to world affairs, as well as his work ethic has set a precedent to what can be achieved after office. His critics are quick to point out his failed economic policy while in office, or that he appeases sworn enemies of the United States. However, very rarely do people point out that he is one of the few presidents to not use force while in office, instead relying on diplomacy as a strategic strategy to achieve international peace and stability. As an intern at The Carter Center, his eminence as a world leader and his criticized detractions are made clear during the working day, and well beyond the experience. I implore the law students at the American University of Cairo to consider an internship at The Carter Center, as it may very well be a provocation experienced by few.