News & Publications

Carter Center Current Issue Q&A's

Carter Center Current Issue Q&A's examine international peace and health issues in depth - from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Carter Center experts – on topics including human rights, disease control and prevention, and democracy.

1 April 2008
The Nepal Elections and The Carter Center:  A Q&A With David Pottie, Associate Director, Carter Center Democracy Program
Q&A with David Pottie, Associate Director, Carter Center Democracy Program


17 March 2008
Political Reform in China:  A Q&A with Yawei Liu, Director, Carter Center China Program
Q&A with Yawei Liu, Director, Carter Center China Program.

20 February 2008
Access to Information:  A Fundamental Right
Q&A with Laura Neuman, J.D., Assistant Director, Americas Program and Access to Information Project manager.

29 November 2007
Mental Illness Prevention: Interview with Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D., Director of the Carter Center Mental Health Program
The 23rd Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, held Nov. 7-8, 2007 at The Carter Center, examined current mental health prevention interventions — and potential policy barriers for implementation--for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults.

15 November 2007 
Crisis in Pakistan - A Q&A With Carter Center Human Rights Director Karin Ryan
A Q&A with Karen Ryan, director of the Carter Center's Human Rights Program, on the imposition of martial law and suspension of the constitution in Pakistan by President Pervez Musharraf.

13 July 2007
Two Palestines? What is Risked by a "West Bank First" Policy? Q&A with Middle East Experts
In the following Q&A, panel members from "Two Palestines? What is Risked by a 'West Bank First' Policy?," held at The Carter Center in July 2007, answer audience questions that remained following the event.

31 May 2007
Venezuela RCTV Station Closure: Q&A with Americas Program Director Jennifer McCoy
What is happening with Venezuelan democracy since the re-election of President Hugo Chávez in December 2006?

05 April 2007
25th Anniversary Q&A with Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter
In this Q&A, President and Mrs. Carter reflect on the Carter Center's 25 years of waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope around the world.

21 Apr 2006
Albania Today: Roundtable Discussion Examines Socio-Economic Development and Civil Society
Since the collapse of communism in 1991, the Balkan nation of Albania has made great strides establishing democratic institutions and fostering economic growth. Nevertheless, these foundations are weak. From 2000-2004, The Carter Center's Global Development Initiative (GDI) worked with the Albanian government, private sector, and civil society to produce the country's National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development (NSSED), which spelled out the government's policy priorities and highlighted donor assistance needs.

4 Apr 2006
Political Finance Reform and Media Mapping: An Expert Q&A With Shelley McConnell
In this Q&A, Dr. Shelley McConnell, senior associate director of the Carter Center's Americas Program, discusses the groundbreaking media mapping project: its impetus, implementation, and hoped-for impact on democratization in the Americas.

27 Mar 2006
U.N. Human Rights Council: The Center's Role, New Body's Mandate in Expert Q&A
A new Human Rights Council for the United Nations was adopted March 15 by the UN General Assembly, replacing the Commission on Human Rights, originally established in 1946. In this Q&A, Karin Ryan--senior advisor for the Carter Center's Human Rights Initiatives--discusses the Center's key role in the Council's passage and what the Council means for global human rights.

9 Feb 2006
Q&A With Ed Cain: Development Cooperation Forum Tackles Growing Global Disparity
On Dec. 7-9, 2005, the Carter Center's Global Development Initiative (GDI) convened an unprecedented group of global leaders, thinkers, and policy makers to tackle the ongoing issues surrounding the world's efforts to help those less fortunate. GDI Director Ed Cain oversaw this Fourth Development Cooperation Forum and in this Q&A gives an insightful glimpse into its goals and accomplishments.

25 Jan 2006
Atlanta Journal Constitution Palestine Election Q&A With David Carroll
Former President Jimmy Carter will lead a team of 80 observers today in monitoring legislative elections in the Palestinian territories. The team hopes to provide "an impartial and accurate report" on elections that are as significant as they are controversial.

17 Jan 2006
Palestinian Legislative Council Elections: Expert Q&A with David Carroll and Matthew Hodes The Carter Center, with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), will send an international delegation to monitor the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections, set for Jan. 25. Both organizations observed the 1996 and 2005 elections in the Palestinian Territories. In this Q&A, Democracy Program Director Dr. David Carroll and Conflict Resolution Program Director Matthew Hodes examine the implication of these elections for Palestinians and for Middle East peace.


16 Jan 2006
Liberia's Historic Presidential Inauguration: Carter Center Expert Q&A
The inauguration of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president-elect of Liberia and Africa's first elected woman president, is set for Monday, Jan. 16, 2005, in Monrovia, Liberia. The Carter Center, involved in the West African country's peace and democracy efforts since 1991, actively engaged in the 2005 electoral process in Liberia, and organized an international observer delegation in partnership with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) to monitor the October election. In this Q&A, Ashley Barr, Carter Center/Liberia Country Director, and Tom Crick, senior political analyst for the Center's Conflict Resolution Program, discuss the country's future and the Center's continuing role in Liberia.

31 Oct 2005
Declaration of Principles and Code of Conduct: A Q&A With Democracy Program Director David Carroll, Ph.D.
A Q&A with Democracy Program Director David Carroll, Ph.D., on the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.

27 Oct 2005
Eradication by 2009: A Q&A With Carter Center Guinea Worm Experts
Q&A on the historic Guinea Worm Eradication Campaign with Carter Center experts Dr. Donald R. Hopkins and Dr. Ernesto Ruiz-Tiben.

1 Aug 2005
Q&A with Jennifer McCoy, Ph.D., Director of the Americas Program
Fourteen presidents have resigned or were removed from office prematurely in the last two decades. What does this means for Latin American demcracy? Governments have had a difficult time addressing the needs of the people, particularly low-income and marginalized peoples. As a result, satisfaction with democratic performance is eroding, even while support for the principles of democracy remains strong. High crime rates, poor public services, corruption, and chronic unemployment have made the promises of strongmen and populist candidates attractive to many voters.

11 Apr 2005
A Key to Democracy: Access to Information Critical for Citizens, Governments
Access to information is one of the keys to democracy. Allowing people to seek and receive public documents serves as a critical tool for fighting corruption, allowing citizens to more fully participate in public life, making governments more efficient, encouraging investment, and helping persons exercise their fundamental human rights. For this reason, The Carter Center is actively involved with governments and civil society partners around the world, currently focusing on three Latin American countries, in the implementation of access to information policies. In this Q&A, the Carter Center's Laura Neuman, senior program associate of the Americas Program, shares her insights.

26 Feb 2005
Democracy and Dialogue: Venezuela Election Q&A
At the conclusion of the Carter Center's work to help resolve Venezuela's political crisis, Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director of the Center's Americas Program, traveled to Caracas Feb. 24, 2005, to present the Center's final report on the presidential referendum process. Before leaving, she and former Carter Center Caracas Representative Francisco Diez talked about the Center's work there for the past two and a half years and the future of Venezuela.

26 Jan 2005
The 2005 Palestinian Elections: New Era for Middle East Peace?
A Q&A with Carter Center experts Matthew Hodes and David Carroll on the Jan. 9, 2005, Palestinian presidential elections, with photo essay.

28 Oct 2004
Expert Q&A: The 2004 U.S. Elections
Dr. Carroll and Dr. McCoy direct the Carter Center's efforts to advance democracy worldwide through international election observation, strengthening the role of civil society in government policy-making, promoting rule of law, and fostering transparency and government accountability. They have managed and conducted dozens of election observations in the past 15 years. The Democracy Program is currently taking the lead with the U.N. Electoral Assistance Division and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, to draft principles and a code of conduct for election observation worldwide, with input from all major election observation organizations.

1 Jul 2004
The Geneva Initiative and The Carter Center: Q&A with Matthew Hodes
The Geneva Initiative, an unofficial peace plan formally launched in December 2003, offers what former U.S. President Jimmy Carter calls, "the best chance for peace in the Middle East."

16 Dec 2003
Mental Health Symposium Spotlights New Programs To Support President's Report
A Q&A with Larry Fricks, a director in Georgia's department of mental health, and creator of the Certified Peer Specialist Project: the only project of its kind anywhere in the nation.

10 Nov 2003
An Encyclopaedia Britannica Q&A With President Carter: Global Challenges to the United States in a New Millennium
In an exclusive Britannica interview, Jimmy Carter--statesman, former president, and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize laureate--discusses the difficulties of maintaining peace in a single-superpower world and the role of The Carter Center in guaranteeing human rights for all peoples.

5 Jun 2003
Q&A With David Carroll, Ph.D., Interim Director of the Democracy Program
What is the state of democracy today around the world? There has been a remarkable movement towards democracy in the last two decades. The mix of factors involved in the process of democratization is complex, and we are still learning all of its dynamics.

1 Apr 2003
Q&A With Matthew Hodes, J.D., Director of the Conflict Resolution Program
How has the nature of conflict changed in the past decade? Many of the governments and nations sustained by Cold War patronage are now facing internal opposition as they attempt to adapt to the new world order. While several of the current conflicts cross borders and involve multiple state actors, these conflicts also often have ethnic, religious, and/or other identity-based roots.

9 Sep 2002
The World Summit on Sustainable Development: Q&A with Ed Cain
Some 45,000 delegates from around the world convened last week in Johannesburg for the U.N.-sponsored World Summit on Sustainable Development. The director of the Carter Center's Global Development Initiative, Ed Cain, discusses the impact of the summit.

3 Jul 2002
Q&A with Ashley Barr: International Criminal Court Comes to Fruition
The International Criminal Court began operation July 1, 2002, some 50 years after the United Nations first called for its inception. The Carter Center and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter have been strong advocates for the ICC. The Center sent human rights representatives to Rome in 1998 for the negotiations on the ICC and have collaborated with other international nongovernmental organizations to build support globally for the court. President Carter has sent dozens of letters to heads of state, encouraging them to support the establishment of the ICC. Below is a discussion with the Center's human rights lawyer, Ashley Barr, on the ICC and its implications.

3 Jun 2002
Dr. Jennifer McCoy Reflects on The Carter Center's Mission to Cuba
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter made history in May 2002 as the first United States president, former or sitting, to visit Cuba since Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959. Among those accompanying him on The Carter Center delegation was Dr. Jennifer McCoy (pictured at left with Cuban healthcare workers), director of the Americas Program at The Carter Center and associate professor of political science at Georgia State University. A special trip de-briefing with Dr. McCoy follows.

14 May 2002
Q&A with President Carter at the University of Havana
A transcript of President Carter's question and answer session with students and faculty at the University of Havana.