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Jon Lee Anderson on protests in Nicaragua over proposed social-security reforms that are threatening the stability of the government of President Daniel Ortega.
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Scoop.it!
David Stiger's curator insight,
September 23, 2018 10:43 AM
Nicaragua's present situation is an example of how out-of-touch leaders can ruin a country The president-dictator, Ortega, and his co-dictator wife, Murillo, have been in power since 2007 ruling with deaf ears and black hearts. Due to their recent decision to raise the cost of social security while reducing its benefits (something truly bizarre), civil unrest has spilled into the streets permeating throughout the whole country. To quell the anger, Ortega had his soldiers open fire on protesters (another bizarre decision). Average Nicaraguan citizens are enraged and ready for a change of power.
Ortega first took power in 1979 when his socialist "junta" overthrew an oppressive right-wing regime. Essentially one group of extremists replaced another. The situation only worsened with the involvement of the U.S. Seeing the pro-Soviet Marxist takeover in its geographic backyard, Ronald Reagan authorized military support for a group of right-wing counter-revolutionaries (known in Spanish as 'Contras') who used terrorism to retake the government. Ortega was removed from power in 1990. The article points out that the C.I.A. backed Contras led to the destruction of the Nicaraguan economy. The United States is a paradox as it raves about democracy at home but goes out of its way to support extremist regimes with little regard to human rights abroad. This self-serving "my interests above all" attitude will only come back to haunt the U.S. as chronic instability in its backyard can spill over to other countries and slither its way to the U.S. border.
A salient feature of dictatorships, like Ortega's regime, is that they control the media and the news. Only two newspaper outlets, La Prensa and Confidencial, stand independently to oppose the government's "official narrative." Interestingly enough, Ortega and Murillo's children run the pro-government media outlets - illustrating how close family connections between business and government are unhealthy for society. These kindred relations weaken checks and balances because of conflicts of interest.
Two things to take away from this article: One is that the U.S. needs to either cease meddling in foreign affairs or be much more careful. The second is that this scenario serves as a reason why the world needs transparent democratic societies. This latter form of governance ensures that no single group can hold onto power for so long, becoming insensitive to the needs of the people, and continuing to rule simply to hold onto power.
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