Photo by: Prensa Celam
Nicaragua has played subliminal yet significant roles in modern history. Many do not acknowledge its importance as a revue for a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and yet the death of hundreds and the revolution of Latin American politics seem to be inextricably linked with the Nicaraguan Revolution and all of the conflicts that have come afterwards. In order to understand the current situation one needs to examine the historical events that set up the country for its turbulent dynamics. The start of the Cold War led to a significant spread of Communism around the world. The Soviet Union used aid, money, and idealism to transfer their ideologies to many countries around the world, inciting rebellions and creating a playground for its battles against the United States who were blindly fighting against their new enemy. A huge fear of communism permeated the West, and as dictated by the Truman doctrine, the United States would do anything in its power to prevent communism from spreading, leading to devastation and death as observed in the Vietnam and Korean wars.
Similar events happened in Latin America and have left prominent marks in politics and international relations today. The 1960s and 70s were times of revolution in Latin America. Most notably, the Cuban Revolution led to the self-appointed communist dictator Fidel Castro taking command and then exerting his influence as far as his spies and weapons and money could reach. Nicaragua was one of these places. Interestingly enough, Nicaragua was ruled by a "dynastic" dictatorship for 44 years started by Anastasio Somoza Garcia. With the support of the military, he overthrew Juan Bautista Sacasa, the rightfully elected president, in 1937. Somoza was not president, rather, commander in chief, only becoming president in 1951. His position, however, did provide him power to make all the important decisions in the country. The Somoza family was famously supported by the United States as Nicaragua gave the US military permission to establish a base during the second world war. Many characterize the dictatorship as oppressive, corrupt, and say that Nicaragua became the United State’s puppet. Anastasio Somoza was accused of human rights violations which included the “extensive pillage, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, rape, and summary execution of hundreds of peasants,” as stated by Thomas Walker and Christine Wade, both political scientists in an interview for ThoughtCo. This ruling family met their end in 1979 when a marxist uprising resulted in his assassination and exile. Up came the infamous Daniel Ortega, a dedicated member of the Sandinista movement which was dedicated to overthrowing the Somoza family. In an attempt to gain funds and have a chance at revolution, Ortega took up the habit of robbing bank which led to his imprisonment for most of his young adult life. Accounts say that he was tortured, abused, and overworked in prison, carefully molding him to fit the sacrificed leader trope that would amass thousands of supporters. Through a violent coup, the Sandinistas were able to overthrow the government and following careful political chess, Ortega came to be president in 1984. The whole process lasted around a decade, and it involved the death of around 50,000 Nicaraguans while people fought to rid themselves of their abusive government. FSLN, also known as the Sandinista’s political party were guided by Fidel Castro and they became the poster image for guerrilla groups in South America. Already in power, the Sandinistas dedicated themselves to reform the country in terms of land, literacy, and poverty. They were able to decrease illiteracy rates significantly and were supported by United State’s president Carter in their endeavors, but once Ronald Reagan was elected, a bitter political war began between the nations. At first glance, Nicaragua was fighting a civil war against an opposition group called the Contras, but the situation was much more complex. What is now called the Iran-Contra scandal led to the death of thousands, and it was led by President Ronald Reagan from 1985 to 1987. It was based on the illegal sale of weapons to Iran, the funds of which would be use to invest and support the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. The Contras were the ones fighting against the Sandinista’s and their Marxist regime. Iran was holding a knife over the US’s head, and this was the kidnapping of American hostages by terrorist group Hezbollah. The transaction stated that if the United States sold these weapons to Iran, Iran would release the hostages . The fight between the Contras and the Sandinista’s led to the diversion of funds. Money that could have been used to continue the literacy and anti-poverty programs was used to fight against the CIA-funded Contras. It is because of this that Nicaragua was the host of a Soviet and American proxy war given that the Sandinistas were funded by Castro in Cuba, who was in turn funded by the Soviets.
The politics surrounding the Nicaraguan conflict are inextricably complex and unfortunately set the country up for a difficult road to recovery. Nicaragua was tired of war and Daniel Ortega lost the 1990s elections, losing his battle but not the whole war. He never gave up on politics and ran again in 2006, winning the elections that would bring another enormous set of predicaments. He started his campaign with messages of Christianity and peace. Funded by Hugo Chavez and his Venezuelan oil, Ortega was able to craft a convincing narrative that captivated the hearts of Nicaraguans. There were doubts regarding the election’s legitimacy, especially by western powers like the European Union, but he won in the subsequent 2011 elections. Nearing the end of his last term, the Supreme Court helped Ortega change the constitution which limited the number of years an individual could serve as president. It also silenced opposition candidates both in the senate and in the presidency campaigns. The government slowly started silencing the people, any rumor of discontent was immediately brushed aside, and Ortega consolidated his power as a true Marxist would. Nicaragua became the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, only after Haiti, and beside the heart wrenching poverty and insecurity that this had brought upon the people, worse was yet to come.
It was in 2018 that Nicaragua permeated world headlines. Ortega and his government became experts in silencing and repressing as it was the only way to maintain the power they fought for for so long, so when protests got out of hand, the world stopped in shock. Pension reforms were the drop that spilled the cup, so to say. Students took to the streets and confronted the police, many comparing this encounter to the Sandinista guerrilla upraising that had brought down the Somoza dictatorship. It seemed that Ortega had become what he had fought against. Rising to bring down a leader that silenced, killed, and disappeared his opponents, to destroy the legacy of one-sided rule that ignored the needs of the people, to bring down a system that had cast him aside for so long, he metamorphosed into his worst enemy. The protests began on April 18th, 2018, and over 300 deaths were reported. The clashes were mainly between armed supporters of the president, the police, and armed opponents, but the majority of the deaths were unarmed civilians that were caught in the cross fires. Old symbols of rebellion also started being used once more including songs, slogans, and even masks, now against the man that had once lived by what they represented . As if the situation had not escalated enough, news sources suddenly started shutting down. The nation’s most prominent reporters and outlets stopped broadcasting, and upon further investigation it was discovered that they had received anonymous calls that forced them to stop covering the protests saying that if they didn’t, they would “face the consequences” according to Human Right’s Watch. Those who did not stop reporting received cyberattacks which forced them to shit down. Not only were people killing and dying in the streets, but freedom of press and speech had been eradicated. People who were jailed also reported abuses, sexual assaults, and violations. It was only a year after the 2018 protests that Ortega released 492 people and confined them to house arrest. This was an effort to show the people of Nicaragua that he heard their pleas, but reports state that vocal critics of the government were not released and the rest were kept under strict watch. Human Right’s watch states that over 2,000 people were injured, and although the protests died down, abuse of power from the police is still being reported today . As of March 2020, there were claims that the police was stopping demonstrators using brute force as protestors demanded the government release political prisoners, open up the news outlets and allow freedom of information, and take accountability for the attacks on journalists that followed the protests. 2020 brought a new set of problems, not only from the economic and social toll that the pandemic forced upon Nicaragua, but also due to the new “foreign agents” bill that was put into action in October. This new legislation requires entities receiving funds from international groups of people to disclose their activity and report as “foreign agents” which will prevent them from becoming involved in what the government called “matters of internal politics.” Human Rights Watch states that this directly impacts journalists, NGOs and political opponents, limiting their ability to voice their opinions and report on what is happening in Nicaragua. This is also another way for Ortega to silence is oponents and stay in power. It is believed that more than 103,000 people have left Nicaragua since 2018, as reported by IACHR . Elections are set to be held on November 7th 2021, but outcomes look bleak. A new law was instated that bans presidential candidates who “lead or finance a coup ... encourage foreign interference, ask for military intervention ... propose or plan economic blockades, applaud and champion the imposition of sanctions against Nicaragua or its citizens,” according to AP. In short, the government has the power to prohibit certain people from running for president if they believe they represent revolutionary or insurgent ideas. Ortega now has the power to dictate who becomes president and who gets silenced, and he is chasing himself. Despite ruling from 1979 to 1990 and from 2006 to now, Ortega shows no signs of stopping, and the world awaits to see what the future holds for this Central American nation.
Written By: Carolina Mejia Rodriguez
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