Panama to Palestine A mission to make the world better

In May 1989, the former US president Jimmy Carter walked into the lobby of a hotel in Panama and made it known he was determined to be heard in spite of attempts by the country's military ruler, Gen Manuel Noriega, to shut him up.

- Chris McGreal

Carter was still widely held in contempt in his own country, where his reputation as a one-term president was crucified in the late 1970s by interminable petrol queues, Iran's taunting seizure of American hostages and a general perception that he lacked the mettle to lead the free world.

In time, he won renewed respect through the myriad works of his Carter Center and its considerable efforts to eradicate diseases, mediate conflicts and press brutal regimes to reform. Driven by a deep religious faith and missionary zeal, which others could find grating, he set about doing what he could not as president - changing the world.

Part of that was to establish his centre as a credible judge of the fairness of elections as authoritarian regimes crumbled with the end of the cold war.

Noriega was under indictment in the US for drug trafficking, even though he had long worked for the CIA, and was hoping to ease US pressure with an election that would install his handpicked candidate.

Noriega miscalculated. His candidate was soundly beaten. The electoral commission was in the dictator's pocket and made a clumsy attempt to fix the result. Carter confronted its top officials.

"Are you honest people or are you thieves?" he asked them.