United States Foreign Policy Toward Nicaragua
Abstract
Democracy and stability have been U.S. objectives for Central America throughout this century. Nicaragua for the past fifty-four years has stood as an obstacle to these objectives. From 1936-1979 Nicaragua was ruled by a family of ruthless dictators. The Somozas, while friendly to the United States, led an oppressive government with little respect for human rights. In 1979, Somoza was overthrown by the Sandinistas, who established a Marxist-Leninist government unfriendly to the United States. In April 1990, the Sandinistas will relinquish power to the freely elected government of Violeta Chamorro and her National Opposition Union coalition party. The purpose of this paper is to look at the U. S. relationship with the governments of Somoza and the Sandinistas. The paper focuses on how the instruments of power were utilized to support U.S. interests and how those interests changed over the years. This review of the U.S.-Somoza relationship builds a foundation for understanding the 1980's. The final chapter offers a personal perspective of the author as well as some recommendations for the future. (eg)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 23, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA220627
Entities
People
- James M. Grant
Organizations
- United States Army War College