Nicaragua in US Crosshairs Again
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Since mid-April, orchestrated protests in Nicaragua appear similar to what’s going on in Armenia, earlier in Ukraine and elsewhere – what the RAND Corporation in the 1990s called “swarming,” what first played out in Serbia in 2000.
Many spontaneous-appearing demonstrations against sitting governments are, in fact, carefully planned and orchestrated US color revolution regime change attempts.
The Clinton co-presidency toppled Serbia’s Slobodan Milosevic this way – after years of Balkan wars, culminating in 78 days of US-led terror-bombing, completing the rape, destruction, and partitioning of the former Yugoslavia.
Ousting Milosevic became the prototype for color revolutions to come. Some worked. Others failed. Two succeeded in Ukraine – in 2004, again in 2014.
What’s happening in Nicaragua is eerily similar to other US-orchestrated color revolution attempts.
Last week, protests began in Managua and other Nicaraguan cities – ostensibly over increased taxes and decreased benefits.
In response to what appeared to be orchestrated violence, including use of firearms by extremist provocateurs, causing deaths, similar to earlier street protests in Venezuela, resulting in deaths, injuries and vandalism, Ortega cancelled announced policy changes.
It didn’t help, his resignation demanded. In response to phony accusations of 2016 presidential election fraud, House members passed the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act of 2017 (NICA).
Senate passage hasn’t followed so far. Perhaps both houses will take it up in response to ongoing street violence. If passed by Congress, Trump almost surely would sign it into law.
In original form, it calls for denying Nicaragua access to loans from international financial institutions. They’re needed to help finance vital social programs.
If enacted into law, NICA would seriously impact Nicaragua’s economy. Ortega has been overwhelmingly popular.
In the country’s November 2016 presidential election, he triumphed easily, defeating opposition candidate Maximino Rodriguez by a 72 – 15% margin – not the result Washington wanted.
Are ongoing violent street protests an attempt to revive NICA? Will Washington try toppling Ortega by a combination of making Nicaragua’s economy scream and violent street protests – likely orchestrated the same way as EuroMaidan ones in Ukraine, as well as similar ones in Venezuela and elsewhere.
Opposition groups in these and other countries are funded by the undemocratic National Endowment for Democracy, USAID, and other US organizations, CIA dirty hands involved.
From inception, it’s been involved in numerous political assassinations and efforts to topple unwanted governments.
In virtually all US-orchestrated color revolution attempts, extremist elements are involved – social media used to spread inflammatory anti-government messages.
Nicaraguan workers and students mobilized to counter violent demonstrations.
Washington began intervening in Nicaraguan affairs at least since the early 20th century, notably years of Contra wars from 1981 – 1990, following the 1979 Ortega-led Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) toppling of the US-supported Somoza dictatorship.
New millennium color revolutions replaced earlier US tactics to topple unwanted governments – Nicaragua’s fate up for grabs for the second time since Contra wars ended in 1990.
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