NPR reports on the possible victory of Daniel Ortega in Nicaraguan elections. If you listen to NPR you would think that Ortega (along with the Sandinista party) was a "nemesis" and "foe" to the United States. During the story John Ydstie asks (reporting from Nicaragua), "It's been all about peace and reconciliation -- is this a new Ortega?"
This is an amazing case of turning history on its head. I was around during the 1980s and remember that the Sandinistas were constantly asking for peaceful resolutions to the war being waged against Nicaragua out of Washington. It is especially informative that NPR never refers to the World Court verdict finding the US guilty of agression and terrorism against Nicaragua. Even in the most damaging indictment against the Sandinistas -- their abuses against the Miskito Indians -- they showed a willingness to submit to international law and follow through on the findings against them.
Given that the current Bush administration features many of the prime architects of US crimes against Nicaragua (esp. Negroponte) covering up this history is really a shame. But as Garcia-Navarro states, Ortega is "more civil" and "trying to present this moderate face" where he wants to "put our past behind us" an attitude that she makes clear she approves of if its true. See the IPS News article for better coverage of the elections.
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3 comments:
Right, "let's not bicker and argue over who killed who". What's past is past. Americans always have good intentions. Everything would be just fine if all those inscrutable foreigners didn't mess up our noble plans for them. We never seek to dominate, so we have deployed our troops in foreign countries only about fifty times since WWII.
Back in 2001 I knew something was up when all the Iran-Contra folks got government jobs, especially the VP. NPR wa conspicuously silent about all that, to our detriment.
I'm 43, and I was too young and dumb to know what was going on in the 80's (party daze). But I did learn about it later, in my 30's, when I cared enough to find out.
What's sad is that people like Oliver North were directly involved in those atrocities committed against Nicaragua, and many young people, 20's and younger, are now given to believe he's some kind of war hero.
Orwell knew only too well what he was talking about.
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