Handing control of the Panama Canal from the U.S. over to the Central American country was one of President Jimmy Carter's most controversial, and most overshadowed, foreign policy achievements.

Carter viewed the Panama Canal transfer as a defining moment of his presidency, while Donald Trump recently reignited debate, calling it a "giveaway."

Former President Jimmy Carter’s legacy was marked by influential acts of foreign diplomacy. One such act — the handing over of the Panama Canal as a part of treaties signed nearly four decades ago — was perceived as more controversial.

Panama's President José Raúl Mulino remembered former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Sunday at age 100, for his "crucial" role in ensuring the Panama Canal was returned to Panamanian control. The big picture: Carter signed treaties with Panama's leader in 1977 for the U.