Jimmy Carter’s challenges mirror those faced by Biden

More recently, Biden and his diplomatic team proved unable to prevent Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel from turning into a regional conflagration and a devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Both Carter and Biden have been humiliated by seemingly superior regional powers in Iran and Afghanistan, and have also faced the territorial ambitions of global powers. Carter was criticized for his inadequate response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan and was widely criticized for his actions afterward—ordering a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics by U.S. athletes.

Biden has had greater success fighting the invasion of Ukraine, rallying allies to support and equip Kiev’s forces in resisting Russia’s advance. But as the war dragged on, America’s resolve was tested. The extended bloody conflict turned Afghanistan into a cauldron of instability, resulting in the emergence of al-Qaeda and global jihad.

The lasting impact of the war in Ukraine may have unintended and deadly consequences – all of which can be laid at the feet of this president.

In the Middle East, Carter’s Camp David victory proved an incomplete achievement, securing peace between Israel and Egypt but failing to resolve the Palestinian issue, which once again became an urgent global concern with the Gaza war. For more than a year, the war has been a constant reminder of the limits of America’s and Biden’s power.

The US was unable to prevent the conflict from escalating into Lebanon, and for the first time, it included direct military action between Iran and Israel. The latter, America’s closest ally in the region, repeatedly ignored Biden’s advice and took a more aggressive path on its own.

Biden has also had to manage strained relations with a rising China, whose current place in the world stems from Carter’s 1979 decision to normalize US relations with that country.

That turning point set a course for the country’s emergence as a major economic and military power — ultimately creating the geopolitical rivalry with the United States that Mr. Biden is fighting for.