Word: nicaragua
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Still, the latest attempt to end the eight-year war in Nicaragua was a rebuff to the U.S., which has supported and guided the contra effort since its inception in 1981. Right up to the last minute, the Bush Administration lobbied regional leaders to postpone demobilization until after the Nicaraguan election, scheduled for Feb. 25, to give the Sandinista regime at least some incentive to uphold its pledges for a free and fair vote...
...enforced, the demobilization scheme will complete the gradual mutation of the contras from a military threat to a political force to a refugee remnant that U.S. officials have dubbed the "disposal problem." The Tela plan invites contras and their families to return to Nicaragua from their bases in Honduras but offers the option of resettlement in other countries. Honduras desperately wants the contras to go elsewhere, and Nicaragua has offered to repatriate them safely. But if the contras do not trust such Sandinista promises, the U.S. will face the painful question of its responsibilities toward the rebel force it created...
Much to the dismay of the contras, the demobilization plan enjoys the support of Nicaragua's 20 opposition parties. To ensure their cooperation, President Daniel Ortega Saavedra pledged to suspend Nicaragua's military draft until after the election, to hold fair balloting and to grant opposition candidates free television time. But the U.S. remains skeptical that the election will really prove free or fair, and last week's agreement provides no penalties whatsoever should Ortega renege on his pledges...
FOOTNOTE: *Oscar Arias Sanchez of Costa Rica, Alfredo Cristiani of El Salvador, Vinicio Cerezo of Guatemala, Jose Azcona del Hoyo of Honduras and Daniel Ortega Saavedra of Nicaragua...
...Contra scandal, Brinkley has a sound understanding of the motives that drive politicians to involve themselves and their nation in Nicaraguan politics. With this kind of background, it is no wonder that the strongest part of Brinkley's novel which details the events leading to an American invasion of Nicaragua--is the psychological characterizations of his players...