Former US President Jimmy Carter died on Sunday - the oldest living former US president and the first to reach 100.
He is being widely praised across the world - not so much for his difficult one term presidency from 1977 to 1981 - but for the work he did after that in human rights and social justice.
But, in Belize, that one term is where Carter proved instrumental in ensuring Belizean independence. His vision of a foreign policy based on protecting human rights meant his government could no long overlook the human rights abuses in Guatemala - which was a right wing ally of the US.
And that created a window of opportunity for the US to support Belize's independence. We spoke to ambassador and historian Assad Shoman about it via Zoom today:
Assad Shoman, Historian
"He was influenced by the Cold War thinking that Guatemala was a bulwark against communism, and therefore you had to support Guatemala. And so at the beginning, remember he came into office in 1977. He and his administration were pushing for Belize to cede land to Guatemala in order to placate the generals, to placate the Guatemalan government, and keep them as a ally, a stronger ally of the United States of America."
"However, there was that streak in him, as you say. He was a decent man, I think. He wanted to do good. But of course, you can't be president of the United States and do good. I mean, it's an empire, right?"
"And you have to uphold the empire. So that's what he was doing. That's what he was paid to do. But the good in him sometimes came out, so that on Belize, for example, and on Guatemala in particular, his human rights policy led him, I believe it was in 1978, to stop the sale of arms from the Pentagon to Guatemala."
"That was very important. And later on in 1980, I think he extended that to any sales, commercial or otherwise. So that helped us to stop. Of course, the place of the United States was immediately taken by Israel, but that's another story."
"So in the end, he was helpful to Belize because it was under his administration that the United States finally in 1980 voted yes in the resolution, the UN resolution for independence with territorial integrity fulfilling our right to self-determination. So without the US support at that time, it would have been difficult for the United Kingdom, for example, to go ahead and agree to that independence and to the security that they provided with the provision of troops, which was also strongly supported, of course, by the United States, mostly because they didn't want Cuba."
"They thought that if British troops were here, that would prevent Cubans from coming. They had this mentality, the Cold War thing. So in the end, yes, Carter's fundamental decency, I believe, and goodwill prevailed over his being president of the United States."
Jules Vasquez
"So that US support in 1980 was important."
Assad Shoman, Historian
"Very important, yeah."
Jules Vasquez
"Instrumental."
Assad Shoman, Historian
"Absolutely."
Shoman also discussed how Carter developed a friendship with George Price in Belize.
Assad Shoman, Historian
"Remember, he formed the Council of the Heads of Government of the Americas, something like that."
Jules Vasquez
"Right. And Mr. Price was a part of it."
Assad Shoman, Historian
"In 1986 or so. And then he made Mr. Price vice chairman of that."
"Although you had presidents from all over the Americas and the Caribbean, South America, even from the US were part of that council. And yet George Price was a vice chairman. So he had a special affinity as well, I think with George Price."
"And they got on very well. He took him on, I think, about four or five election observances around the Americas. Mr. Price went along with him. And you know, he visited Belize as well."
Carter visited Belize after he left the oval office - on vacation in San Pedro.
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