Stuart Eizenstat was at Jimmy Carter’s side from his political rise in Georgia through four years in the White House, where he served as chief domestic policy advisor. Now, Eizenstat has drawn on more than 5,000 pages of notes from his time in the administration as well as 350 interviews with Carter and other major figures of the era to write a comprehensive history of an underappreciated president and shed light on the inner workings of the Carter presidency.
The Baker Institute hosted Eizenstat, former ambassador to the European Union, for a discussion of his book “President Carter: The White House Years,” which examines Carter’s accomplishments domestically and abroad. It explores the grueling negotiations behind Carter's peace talks with Israel and Egypt, the battle in the Senate over the Panama Canal Treaty and how Carter made human rights a presidential imperative in his foreign policy decisions. Eizenstat also discussed the challenges and missteps in dealing with the Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis, which engulfed the Carter administration.
A book signing followed the presentation. Copies of the book were available for purchase courtesy of Brazos Bookstore.
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Agenda
6:00 p.m. - Reception
6:30 p.m. - Presentation
Featured Speaker
The Honorable Stuart Eizenstat is a former U.S. ambassador to the European Union. He currently heads the international practice at Covington & Burling LLP, focusing on resolving international trade problems and business disputes between the U.S. and foreign governments as well as international business transactions and regulations on behalf of U.S. companies and others around the world. During a decade and a half of public service in three U.S. administrations, Eizenstat held a number of key senior positions, including White House chief domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981), and U.S. ambassador to the European Union, under secretary of commerce for international trade, under secretary of state for economic, business and agricultural affairs and deputy secretary of the treasury in the Clinton administration (1993-2001). He had a prominent role in the development and negotiation of key international initiatives, including the New Transatlantic Agenda with the E.U.; the Transatlantic Business Dialogue among European and U.S. CEOs; agreements with the E.U. regarding the Helms-Burton Act and the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996; the U.S.-Japan Port and Harbor Practices Agreement; and the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, where he led the U.S. delegation. Eizenstat received a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.