Playing to Win in Nicaragua

Abstract

The United States' objective in Nicaragua was the establishment of a democratic, pluralistic, stable and friendly government. What developed was the Sandinista regime, a Marxist totalitarian junta, hostile towards the United States and its interest. Now the United States is groping for a strategy to reverse past failures and achieve its original objective. This paper seeks to help in the search for that counter-strategy. It reviews the recent history of Nicaragua and identifies a need for a long-term, national commitment to counter the Sandinistas. The paper examines the current situation and identifies three strategic options. Next it highlights the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Then it compares the options according to their probability of success, cost and political acceptability. The paper concludes that the best available option to achieve the United States' objectives in Nicaragua is to support the Contras with a long-term, national commitment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 30, 1988
Accession Number
ADA192420

Entities

People

  • William P. Martinous

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Central America
  • Civil Rights
  • Civil War
  • Communism
  • Communists
  • Costa Rica
  • Economic Systems
  • El Salvador
  • Elections
  • Governments
  • Guatemala
  • Human Rights
  • Political Systems
  • Security
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design