Given the recent news regarding his health, I think this may be a good topic to have. When he left office, as I understand it, he was fairly unpopular. Today, perhaps due in large part to his humanitarian and advocacy work, he is viewed quite fondly. How do historians view his presidency? And how do they view the impact of his work with the Carter Center? In particular I am curious whether his humanitarian work was something new and unusual for ex-presidents, and whether it may have impacted the rise of "celebrity activism".
I can give you my own assessment. Jimmy Carter was an incredibly consequential foreign policy president. The Carter Doctrine, along with the Monroe and Truman Doctrines, is one of the enduring concepts in American grand strategy. It defined the Persian Gulf as an area or American national interests. On the other hand, Carter also elevated human rights to a national interest. Those are two huge legacies. Carter facilitated the Camp David Accords and the Panama Canal Treaty. He also concluded and signed SALT II, established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and initiated covert aid to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis really tarnished the public view of his presidency. It's quite similar to Truman's "loss of China" and his unpopularity in the later years of his presidency. I strongly suspect that Carter will go through a similar, if not as thorough, rehabilitation based on the legacy of his policymaking.
In Nancy Gibb's and Michael Duffy's The Presidents Club: Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity, they describe his problems with his presidency as a result of his technocratic background from serving under Admiral Rickover in the Navy. Not only was he a Washington outsider, but his inability to delegate and fondness for detail often hurt his ability to govern.
On his post presidential career, they are also less than completely laudatory, detailing how some of his overseas "peace trips" were expressly against the wishes of the sitting administration.
This book provides unusual insights into many of the 20th Century's US presidents. Interesting read on Hoover especially.