Unfinished Revolution - Daniel Ortega and Nicaragua’s Struggle for Liberation.
Kenneth E. Morris. 2010. Lawrence Hill Books. Chicago.
The points below include the ideas and information from this book that I considered interesting. These are points that Morris makes and I do not have sufficient experience to confirm or refute the information.
According to Morris, in Nicaragua, the words "to succeed" are interpreted as "to conquer." Nicaragua has been conquered on so many occasions (initially by Spain and then by the US) that success and conquer are interchangeable words.
United States hegemony over Nicaragua
My generation likely only relates to the Iran Contra - Oliver North debacle, but the US has an almost two century record of intervention. The Monroe Doctrine, a US policy introduced in 1823, "legalized" US hegemony over all of Latin America. In 1856, William Walker, a US soldier of fortune, invaded Nicaragua and proclaimed himself President. American troops have since occupied Nicaragua in 1865 to 1877, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1907, 1910, and 1912 to 1932. The Contra War in the '80's is only the most recent armed intervention by the US. Any paranoia in Nicaragua about American intervention is therefore well justified.
Daniel Ortega, the current President, is 66 years old, and he joined the Sandinista Youth at age 15 years. He killed his first National Guardsman at age 22 years. He served 7 years in prison and was tortured by the Somoza jailers.
The Sandanista revolution was successful but resulted in 45,000 deaths. The Contra War that followed resulted in an additional 40,000 deaths. Nicaraguans of my generation have mostly known war in their youth and middle age, and almost all have had a family member killed, injured, or who fled the country.
After the first elections in 1984, the Sandinista government made freedom of religion a right, abolished the death penalty, and extended formal rights to women.
Ortega lost in the 1990 election, in part because of fear of American invasion if he was re-elected. According to Morris, the US invasion of Panama was not only designed to oust Noriega, but also to threaten Nicaragua to shape up or to suffer a similar fate.
Presidents Chamorro (1990), Aleman (1996) and Bolanos (2001) did not improve the welfare of the average Nicaraguan. They were either corrupt or inept.
Ortega, who was re-elected in 2006 and again in 2011, is viewed as authoritarian and corrupt, but according to Morris, his corruptness is directed to achieve the power to help the people rather than to achieve personal gain, and in this sense his actions are considered by some to be altruistic.
Nicaraguan citizens expect corruption. In a 2001 poll, 73% of those polled desired an authoritarian president and 57% considered bribery of a public official as acceptable conduct.
After his re-election in 2006, Ortega eliminated fees in public schools, worked out an energy deal with Venezuela that eliminated the habitual power blackouts in the capital, provided subsidies to lower the price of food staples, and provided free access to medical care. He initiated Zero Usury, a small business incentive loan program, and Zero Hunger, a program to provide each mother (women are the head of the household) with a chicken and cow to provide eggs and milk for the family.
Nicaragua is still the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
The points below include the ideas and information from this book that I considered interesting. These are points that Morris makes and I do not have sufficient experience to confirm or refute the information.
According to Morris, in Nicaragua, the words "to succeed" are interpreted as "to conquer." Nicaragua has been conquered on so many occasions (initially by Spain and then by the US) that success and conquer are interchangeable words.
United States hegemony over Nicaragua
My generation likely only relates to the Iran Contra - Oliver North debacle, but the US has an almost two century record of intervention. The Monroe Doctrine, a US policy introduced in 1823, "legalized" US hegemony over all of Latin America. In 1856, William Walker, a US soldier of fortune, invaded Nicaragua and proclaimed himself President. American troops have since occupied Nicaragua in 1865 to 1877, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1907, 1910, and 1912 to 1932. The Contra War in the '80's is only the most recent armed intervention by the US. Any paranoia in Nicaragua about American intervention is therefore well justified.
Daniel Ortega, the current President, is 66 years old, and he joined the Sandinista Youth at age 15 years. He killed his first National Guardsman at age 22 years. He served 7 years in prison and was tortured by the Somoza jailers.
The Sandanista revolution was successful but resulted in 45,000 deaths. The Contra War that followed resulted in an additional 40,000 deaths. Nicaraguans of my generation have mostly known war in their youth and middle age, and almost all have had a family member killed, injured, or who fled the country.
After the first elections in 1984, the Sandinista government made freedom of religion a right, abolished the death penalty, and extended formal rights to women.
Ortega lost in the 1990 election, in part because of fear of American invasion if he was re-elected. According to Morris, the US invasion of Panama was not only designed to oust Noriega, but also to threaten Nicaragua to shape up or to suffer a similar fate.
Presidents Chamorro (1990), Aleman (1996) and Bolanos (2001) did not improve the welfare of the average Nicaraguan. They were either corrupt or inept.
Ortega, who was re-elected in 2006 and again in 2011, is viewed as authoritarian and corrupt, but according to Morris, his corruptness is directed to achieve the power to help the people rather than to achieve personal gain, and in this sense his actions are considered by some to be altruistic.
Nicaraguan citizens expect corruption. In a 2001 poll, 73% of those polled desired an authoritarian president and 57% considered bribery of a public official as acceptable conduct.
After his re-election in 2006, Ortega eliminated fees in public schools, worked out an energy deal with Venezuela that eliminated the habitual power blackouts in the capital, provided subsidies to lower the price of food staples, and provided free access to medical care. He initiated Zero Usury, a small business incentive loan program, and Zero Hunger, a program to provide each mother (women are the head of the household) with a chicken and cow to provide eggs and milk for the family.
Nicaragua is still the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
This morning at 5:45 AM, this Crab-eating Raccoon & I crossed paths.
He looked real surprised to see me in the forest.
The light was very poor but iPhoto allowed a pretty good image.
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