There appears to be a new batch of Nicaraguan contras organizing in the mountains and determined to mount a rebellion against leftist President Daniel Ortega. This development might cause one to think that we’re experiencing a time warp and that we’re back in the 1980s. And not surprisingly, the new contras hope for the kind of U.S. aid that Washington gave to their fathers. That’s unlikely to happen—and a good thing, too.
Ortega never was a very savory character, contrary to the worshipful accounts of his groupies in the United States. Throughout the 1980s, his Sandinista regime combined Leninist economic idiocies with some rather ugly authoritarian political tactics. And spending more than a decade-and-a-half in the political wilderness, after being voted out of office in 1990, has not improved his behavior. Although voters restored him to power in 2007, following a campaign in which he ran on promises of “peace and reconciliation,” his conduct since then is reminiscent of the quasi-dictatorial tactics of his good friend, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.
It is likely that the people of Nicaragua are in for a rough time, politically and economically, as are the unfortunate people of Venezuela. Nevertheless, there is no legitimate reason for the United States to get involved in either country’s messy domestic squabbles. Aid to the anti-communist contras was at least arguably in America’s security interests in the 1980s, given the Ortega regime’s flirtation with being a client state of the Soviet Union. Even then, the wisdom of the Reagan administration’s strategy was highly debatable. But no hostile great power poses any kind of threat in Central America today. The petty, parochial politics of those chronically misgoverned countries are now just that—petty and parochial.
Only if Ortega (or Chavez) takes tangible steps to become a Chinese or Russian surrogate, or if either country mounted a credible program to develop nuclear weapons, would a serious security threat to the United States even arguably emerge. The latter development is relatively unlikely with regard to Venezuela, and it is in the realm of utter fantasy with regard to Nicaragua. Even worries about them becoming pawns of Moscow or Beijing are rather far-fetched.
If the Nicaraguan people move to get rid of Daniel Ortega’s government before he becomes a full-fledged dictator, we should wish them well. But we should also let his opponents know in no uncertain terms that Washington will not assist their cause. We simply do not have a dog in that fight.
Comments
Stay out of "petty Central America quarrels"? First of all Ted the start of a new Contra war in Nicaraugua may appear to be petty to a swaggering libertarian but to the impoverished majority in the poorest country in the the hemisphere the threat of a new Contra war is hardly "petty" given the history of US interference in Nicaragua, Venezuela, Peru, Guatemala, Bolivia, El Salvador and most recently Honduras. And in what way is Chavez hurting his people? He was twice elected with an overwhelming majority of the poor who have benefited greatly from his rule. I suppose to the rich capitalists and their US supporters, that have lost their economic stranglehold on the companies vast oil reserves, Chavez is labeled a quasi dictator. However to the poor majority who have benefited greatly under the Chavez rule he is a hero and will likely win another election if the CIA doesn't murder him or remove him from power as they attempted to accomplish just a few years ago. Funny how you failed to mention that critical fact in your two sentence history of the current situation in Venezuela. In fact how does your article differ in any way from the ultra right rhetoric of any US main stream capitalist media outlet. The same is true of your inflamatory remarks concerning Daniel Ortega and the "groupies" that support him in the US. Just like the corporate press in the US you do not give one specific example of what they have done that is so terrible to deserve these broad based negative comments. In other words Ted you are part of it. More of the same in the war against the poor by a wealthy US writer who is willfully ignorant of the suffering of the vast majority of people in Latin America. A writer who evidently believes if the forces of savage capitalism are not allowed to work their ugly results than all the standard lies can be employed. So follow your own advice Ted. Stay out of it until you take a refresher course in Latin America history so you can write an article with at least one sentence of truth verses total right wing propaganda.
United States should intervene in the little quarrel of Nicaragua because of the following:1. Daniel Ortega has been distroying the democracy in Nicaragua, reelecting himself for a new 5 years period through a big fraud in the recent elections of 2011. This reelection ensures the continuation of Nicaragua in the organization ALBA, which are Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador. All those countries are anti-americans, led by leftist dictators and former guerrillas or terrorists.2. Castro and Hugo Chavez conformed ALBA to create a military force supported by Russia, Iran and other anti-american. ALBA will break the equilibrium in Latin America region in the near future. It is not hard to visualize that military basis of Russia and China are installed at Venezuela and Nicaragua and probably Cuba and that there are terrorism cells being trained in Nicaragua and Venezuela, to launch attacks to the US cities in the short term.3. Daniel Ortega has been luring Honduras and other neighboors to join Alba, buying them with the petro-dollars that Hugo Chavez give him for this reason. Since Costa Rica did not want to become part of this group, Ortega has launched a terrorism campaign against it, threatening Costa Rican government with military invasion, and other gorillas strategies.4. Hugo Chavez and ALBA has brived Miguel Insulza and other leaders of the region, so that the American States Organization obeys the orders of ALBA dictators only. Ortega is trying to expand ALBA's dominance to Central America. Finally, a parallel organization of Latin American countries, with the exclusion of Canada and the US, has been created. Do not be surprised if Insulza resign to the OAS to accept the Leadership position of the CELAC.5. If the US does not reverse the trend of ALBA's expansion of the region, the geopolitical of the region will change. ALBA will take over Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Peru and Chile, which are still Democracies that side with the US. US has the responsibility to protect its allies against a force that is backed by Russia, Iran and China. And then, the US will be located in a hostile region, defending itself from continuous terrorist and war threats.