Dictator-supporting U.S. Demands
"Democracy" From Democracy-establishing Sandinistas
September 3, 2001
As noted in an earlier discussion detailing U.S.
interference in the upcoming Nicaraguan presidential election, a State
Department spokesman in Washington "warned"
on July 24 that
we will continue to have
serious concerns about the Sandinistas, absent clear commitments from
candidate Ortega that he is now prepared to embrace democratic policies.
In 1912 U.S. Marines invaded
Nicaragua, and stayed for the better part of two decades. After they
left in 1933 the U.S. supported a succession of dictatorships in Nicaragua
for 46 years.
In 1979 the Sandinistas, led
by Daniel Ortega, overthrew the U.S.-supported Somoza dictatorship and
established democracy. In 1984 Ortega was elected to the Nicaraguan
presidency in an election virtually all observers except the United States
considered fair. In 1990 Ortega was defeated in a bid for
re-election. He left office in a peaceful transfer of power, the first
time in Nicaraguan history. Ortega said:
We leave victorious
because we Sandinistas have spilled blood and
sweat not to cling to government posts, but to bring Latin America a
little dignity, a little social justice.
So the U.S. supports a
dictatorship for 67 years, the FSLN led by Ortega overthrows the dictator
and institutes democracy, and the U.S. is lecturing Ortega about
having a commitment to democracy?! |
