WASHINGTON, April 11 (UPI) -- Former President Jimmy Carter took a swipe at recent U.S. foreign policy in an interview with Time.
Carter had some chiding words for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. President Barack Obama for not taking a more proactive role in trying to bring peace in the Middle East.
"I know from experience that the best way to have the United States be a mediator is for the President himself to be deeply involved. In this occasion, when Secretary Clinton was Secretary of State, she took very little action to bring about peace. It was only John Kerry’s coming into office that re-initiated all these very important and crucial issues."
This is not the first time Carter has been outspoken against Obama's foreign policy. He has slammed the president in previous remarks about the increased use of drones in the Middle East and NSA surveillance of foreign leaders.
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He didn't save all of his criticism for the Obama administration but criticized U.S. foreign policy as a whole, saying that the United States has become the "number one warmonger on Earth."
"You can look at the record: ever since the United Nations was formed after the Second World War, the United States has almost constantly been at war somewhere. There are about 30 countries where we have initiated armed conflict."
He gave some praise for Kerry, saying that his efforts were "notable" as he leads Iranian nuclear talks and tries to mediate Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Carter said he had some insight into the current Russian situation in Crimea as he had faced something similar during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Carter warned then Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev that he would unleash every weapon the U.S. had at its disposal if he went any further with military action. The U.S.S.R.'s military thrust stagnated in Afghanistan and Carter did not have to follow through on his threat but he did admit the U.S. provided weapons to the Afghan freedom fighters.
Obama faces a similar situation as Russian troops amass on Ukraine's eastern border sending a message that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent.
[HuffPost Live] [Time]
