Military aid to the Contras and the quest for democracy in Nicaragua
Moderator
Krogh, Peter F. (Peter Frederic)
Person Interviewed
Lehrman, Lewis E.
Bonior, David
Abstract
Examines the question of U.S. military assistance to the anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
Description
In this episode of American Interests, host Peter Krogh examines the state of affairs in Nicaragua, where U.S. backed Contra rebels were waging a civil war against the communist Sandinista regime. The Sandinista National Liberation Front came to power in 1979 following the overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza. Although the Sandinistas promised democratic elections and political liberties, the government quickly clamped down on opposition parties. Soon after, Cuban military advisers and Soviet matériel began appearing in Nicaragua. U.S. policymakers feared that Nicaragua was fast becoming the next Cuba, and in 1981 the Reagan Administration began pushing for aid to the anti-communist Contras. Five years later, however, the debate over American assistance to the insurgents continued in the halls of Congress. Those opposed to funding the Contras pointed to allegations of human rights abuses and uncertainty as to whether any degree of assistance could result in a Sandinista defeat. Representing opposing sides of the debate over military aid, Lewis Lehrman, Chairman of Citizens for America, and Representative David Bonior, Democrat from Michigan and Chairman of the House Taskforce on Nicaragua, sit down to examine the prospects for a Contra victory over the Sandinistas and the question of American assistance to the guerilla movement.
Permanent Link
http://hdl.handle.net/10822/552623Date
1986Subject
Counterrevolutionaries -- Nicaragua; United States -- Military relations -- Nicaragua; Nicaragua -- Military relations -- United States; United States -- Foreign relations -- Nicaragua; Nicaragua -- Foreign relations -- United States; Cold War; Conflict and War; Contras; Sandinistas; Ronald Reagan; United States Aid to the Contras;
Location
Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean; Nicaragua;
Metadata
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