Historical Dèjá Vu

Add comment August 5th, 2007

 By Rowan Wolf

Iran and Nicaragua in barter deal.

Yes, the above article is written in 2007. Yes, Daniel Ortega is the president of Nicaragua. Yes, this is the same Ortega who was the head of the Sandinistas. So, it is not too surprising that U.S. policy has (not) shifted so much that Ortega might have “strained” relations with the United States - particularly when you throw in warming relations with Iran.

Perhaps you remember the “little embarrassment” known as the Iran-Contra Affair? Reagan wanted to fund the rebel Contras in Nicaragua and the Congress told him “No.” Not being satisfied with Constitutional constraints, he authorized a little covert deal whereby the U.S. sold weapons to Iran and used the proceeds to fund the Contra rebels.

[There was also the business of drug deals and shipping cocaine into the United States for sale in poor and predominantly African American neighborhoods in Los Angeles, but that is another story for another day (see Gary Webb’s Dark Alliance: The Story Behind the Crack Explosion).]

So here we are in 2007 with Iran and Nicaragua formally establishing relations with each other. After all, in 1987 they didn’t know that they were in business with each other. Of course, Saddam Hussein likely didn’t know that while he was receiving support from the U.S. for keeping Iran in “check,” that the U.S. was also arming his (and supposedly the United States’) sworn enemy.

One has to wonder whose U.S. “interests” will prevail in 2007. Dèjá vu with a bit of a twist?

Other Pertinent Resources
Nicaragua U.S. State Department

Nicaragua. Barry & Honey. FPIF. Vol 2:32, 1997.

A Country Study: Nicaragua. Library of Congress. Library of Congress Call Number F1523 .N569 1994