Sandinista Revolution
During July of 1979, a leftist Nicaraguan rebel group called the Sandinistas overthrew their dictator, the US recognized Somoza. Initially, US marines fought alongside Somoza's National Guard. As the war dragged on, the marines were withdrawn along with US support for Somoza. The Sandinistas eventually won control over the government and Somoza fled (along with most of his National Guard) to neighboring areas. President Carter attempted to work with the new Nicaraguan government. However, when Reagan took office in 1981, he began undertaking efforts to isolate and destroy the Sandinista government. Citing their possible aid of El Salvador rebels and their connections with Cuba and the Soviet Union (in fact the Soviets had trained a handful of key players in the original revolution), Reagan authorized support of a movement to overthrow the Sandinista establishment.
Using US funds, Honduras as a staging area, and former National Guard members as the bulk of his soldiers, Reagan backed a continuous assault on the Sandinistas. This movement became known as the Contras. The United States ceased aid to Nicaragua and eventually enacted a complete economic embargo. Ironically, this led indirectly to a strengthening of economic ties between Nicaragua and the Soviets. Then, during November of 1986, a bizarre scandal came to light. Members of the executive branch had been covertly selling weapons to Iran. They used the profits to finance the Contras. After this, US funding of the Contras ceased and the rebels refused to undertake serious action without full American support. They were eventually integrated back into Nicaraguan society and politics. During the war, human rights abuses occurred on both sides and were widely exploited for political purposes just about everywhere. The situation also characterized the sort of “warm” proxy wars that occurred during the Cold War, with both sides indirectly manipulating distant struggles so that they might end in their own favor.
