Carter began his first year out of office with a pledge not to critique the new Reagan administration . He spoke out after the assassination attempt on Reagan , and voiced his agreement with Reagan on building neutron arms in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan . He later disagreed with Reagan 's handling of the Middle East . The following year , Carter called for bipartisanship to fix American economic issues , and criticized the Reagan administration 's handling of the Sabra and Shatila massacre . Carter responded favorably to Reagan choosing to remain within the Camp David agreement , with distaste toward what he felt was Reagan blaming his tenure for continued difficulties in policy . In 1983 , Carter judged the Reagan campaign with having falsified simplicity in solving issues , and criticized Reagan for a lack of attention to human rights violations . In 1984 , Carter stated he had been wrongly presented as weak by Reagan due to a commitment to human rights during the previous presidential election , and condemned Reagan for not making rescue efforts to retrieve four American businessmen from West Beirut . In 1985 , Carter rebuked Reagan over his handling of peace within the Middle East , his support of the Strategic Defense Initiative , and Reagan 's claim of an international conspiracy on terrorism . Carter 's insistence that Reagan was not preserving peace in the Middle East continued in 1987 , Carter during the year also criticizing Reagan for adhering to terrorist demands , nomination of Robert Bork for the Supreme Court , and handling of the Persian Gulf
Sabra and Shatila massacre
Sabra and Shatila massacre
Jimmy Carter