Word: nicaragua
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...Nicaragua's Insurgents...
Although the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua [April 4] deserves to be punished for its support of leftist guerrilla activity in El Salvador, the people of Nicaragua should not be victimized by another civil war. The U.S. and the anti-Sandinista military forces operating out of Honduras are callously disregarding the innocent Nicaraguans. Our action may sooner or later provoke the direct involvement of Cuban forces. Donald H. Monroe Jr. Elmira...
Some of the "facts" that Cardenal uses--for example, "90-percent of the Nicaraguan people are against the Sandinistas"--are impossible to verify. Yet he carries a certain authority, a certain legitimacy, simply by virtue of having lived in Nicaragua. It's hard to debate Cardenal when you've never set foot in Central America...
More important, ousting the Sandinistas would in no way ensure a democratic government for Nicaragua. The present opposition is so diverse that there is no telling which of the many factions would take power. Certainly the presence of many former National Guard members does not inspire confidence in the possibility of a liberal--and democratic--replacement for the Sandinistas...
...would be for Washington to try a little experiment. The Administration should withdraw any support it is supplying to the counterrevolutionary groups and pressure them to cease their activities. The government should then restore aid to the Sandinistas and initiate negotiations aimed at easing tensions between the U.S. and Nicaragua. For their part, the Sandinistas would have to liberalize their rule and schedule elections for the near future...