Foreign policy in Nicaragua is heavily concentrated on economic stability and development. Considering that the country’s economy is primarily focused on the agricultural sector, trade is essential to its economic growth. Due to the heavily indebted state of the country, Nicaragua also depends on foreign development assistance in order to meet debt financing responsibilities and to have an opportunity of development; which makes foreign policy essential to its economic standing. Nicaragua’s most prevalent international relationships today are with the United States, Venezuela, and Russia.
The United States’ foreign relations with Nicaragua focus on promoting democracy, increasing economic growth, and boosting citizen development through basic
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2) The United States has since then called upon the Nicaraguan Government to uphold due process of democracy but it seems to be deterring more from it instead. Since Ortega’s occupation as President, he has been associated with autocrats such as former President Chavez of Venezuela and continues to stir away from democratic process. As a result, Nicaragua has lost eligibility for certain US financial assistance that is granted to central governments of countries who abide by the international standards of fiscal transparency and although Ortega’s regime has been asked to comply, there has been no agreement (“U.S. Relations with Nicaragua” par. 3). Nonetheless, the United States has continued to support the country in promoting economic growth by continuing to be a member of the US-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement which stimulates trade and investment and has led to the United States being both the top export partner and import partner of Nicaragua (“The World Factbook”). Furthermore, the US continues to sponsor citizen …show more content…
The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez was an honorary guest of Ortega’s Presidential Inauguration. Upon assuming his role as President, Ortega decided to become a member of the Latin American, Venezuelan and Cuban founded, trade bloc; known as the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas Trade Treaty (ALBA). The focus of the trade treaty is natural resources, economic aid, and social prosperity amongst its members (Masud par. 2). Due to Ortega’s relationship and alliance with Chavez, Nicaragua was able to establish quite an economic advantage. The most notable Venezuelan aid to Nicaragua has been the opportunity for the country to buy petroleum at a discounted rate and only paying 50% up front, financing the other half with a low interest rate, and paying up to 10% of the bill with agricultural products (Wright par. 3). Furthermore, Venezuela became the second largest import partner to Nicaragua and third largest export partner. Additionally, Venezuela has provided monetary grants to the county that are focused on developing social programs. Nonetheless, critics presume that Nicaragua’s relationship with Venezuela will decelerate after the passing of Hugo Chavez because Ortega and Chavez had a special relationship and it is possible that Nicolas Maduro may cut back on the aid that Venezuela was once able to offer (Wright par.
When focusing on Nicaragua one will need to pay close attention to the rebel group called the Sandinistas who took over Nicaragua’s previous dictator, Anastasio Somoza in 1979, in which the United States Congress decided it would be best to provide them with aid that lasted till 1981.1 Nicaragua’s geographic location made it a big concern for President Reagan based on his philosophy that surrounded the Reagan Doctrine. At that point, President Reagan ended the aid deal and adamantly advised that support be sent to those who were trying to over throw the new socialized, Sandinista leadership.2 Furthermore, the Nicaraguan’s were dealing with some of the worst warfare ever, by the mass killings that took place, which were at the mercy of death squads.3 This gruesome realization allowed President Reaga...
Schutz, Jorian Polis. "The Impact of the Sandinistas on Nicaragua." Jorian Polis Shutz, 1998. <http://www.jorian.com/san.html>.
In the 1960s America, the pope of democratic faith, preached to the world about the evils of communism. When Marxist Salvador Allende lost by three percent in the Chilean election of 1958, the United States decided that the next election of 1964, could not be left in the hands of democracy. The United States began to work to stop Allende from becoming president. They went so far as to create projects to help train and organize so-called anti-communists among the peasants, laborers, students, and the media. Despite their efforts, in 1970 Salvador Allende was elected president through plurality. He became the first Marxist in the world to gain power in a free democratic election. Now you might ask, why would the United States be so interested in the politics of a third world country, furthermore the beliefs of one man. After all a person can only do so much, right?
During the second half of the twentieth century, when the Cold War was on its midst, the United States played an important role in world affairs. The increasing military power that the United States had during the Cold War, allowed it to influence the political decisions that many countries had during this time. The United States directly opposed the idea of communism, which the Soviet Union promoted. This conflict between this two great powers, lasted for five decades, and it tremendously affected the political ideologies of the world. Both countries tried to push their political and economic interest to as many nations as they could, especially those close to their borders. During this time, Guatemala was undergoing a social revolution with communist ideas. The revolution happened as a response to the social injustice committed by the United Fruit Company. The United Fruit Company started to lose land, due to a land reform passed b...
Over the course of the history of the United States, specific foreign policies have affected the methods in which the U.S. involves itself around the globe. Specifically, certain policies have affected U.S. involvement in Latin America. It is the intention of this essay to explain the United States foreign policy behind specific doctrines. In order to realize current objectives, this paper will proceed as follows: Part 1 will define the Monroe Doctrine, Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 will concurrently explicitly explain the Roosevelt Corollary, Good Neighbor Policy, and the Nixon Doctrine, discuss how each policy resulted in U.S. involvement in Latin American countries, describe how it was justified by the U.S. government, respectively, and finally, will bring this paper to a conclusion.
The World Fact Book. (n.d.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved August 12, 2011, from https://www.cia.gov (Primary)
The nation of Cuba has been at odds with the United States since Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959. The United States embargo and sanction on Cuba stems from the fact that the United States will not tolerate Communist governments and "the most important objective of the Cuban government is to remain in power at all costs," says Felix Martin, a professor at Florida’s Cuban Research Institute. The conflict and reason for why the embargo has stayed intact over the years can be summarized in three major points of dissent: Human rights violations, Guantanamo Bay, and the Cuban exile community.
One of these individuals was a corrupt individual known as Manuel Noriega. Noriega resided in Panama which was a neighboring country to Nicaragua and at the time the U.S. was at conflict with. The government enlisted the help of Noriega to spy on and provide information about Nicaragua.
"Country Policies and Embargoes." PMDDTC.state.gov. The Office of the Executive Director, Technology Division, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN/EX/TD), 4 Oct. 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
The current government and economic model of Cuba, its world relations, and America’s stance on the country, have all greatly changed since the Cuban Revolution. Changes are still underway and will likely be coming. Although there has been a mix of opinions with the Cuban people on Cuba’s government, and Fidel’s leading, many seem to be happy with Raúl Castro taking charge, even and especially from other countries; America being one.
Dollar and moral diplomacy were both effective in that they reached their common aim, to extend the US’s influence internationally, whether this be through economic or military means. Both of these diplomacies were meant to greaten the US’s power abroad. Through these policies, the US effectively had control over foreign nations. For dollar diplomacy, this meant influencing the economies of foreign nations. For example, in 1909, the anti-American Nicaraguan president Jose Santos Zelaya had revoked the US’s economic privileges. To protect its investments in Nicaragua, the Secretary of State convinced wealthy American bankers to donate large sums of money to Nicaragua in exchange for control of the Nicaraguan National Bank and 51% ownership of
Hugo Chavez was a powerful and positive force in addressing social issues, however, his singular focus on social issues at the expense of other matters of the country left the Venezuelan economy in tatters. In 1998, 50.4% of the Venezuelan population was living below the poverty line, where as in 2006 the numbers dropped to 36.3% (Chavez leaves). Although he aggressively confronted the issue of poverty in Venezuela, many other problems were worsened. Some Chavez critics say he used the state oil company like a piggy bank for projects: funding homes, and healthcare while neglecting oil infrastructure and production. Without growth in the oil ind...
McCuen, Gary E. The Nicaraguan Revolution. Hudson, Wisconsin: Gary E. McCuen Publications, Inc., 1986. Print. The.
Seligson M. A., 2008, Challenges to Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: Evidence from the Americas Barometer 2007-2007, USAID