By the Chicago Anti-War Coalition (CAWC) – Aug 17, 2020
The U.S. government continues its illegal, criminal attacks on dozens of countries all around the globe. These attacks include economic sanctions, and usually other threats and actions to gain regime change.
The aim of regime change is to get puppets that will be loyal to the main interests of the U.S. ruling class—which are maximum profits and power.
The U.S. actions are in violation of international law and are completely unjust and in violation of the human rights of people in other countries to determine their own future.
This Statement is part of a series by the Chicago Anti-War Coalition (CAWC) to update the latest on U.S. government sanctions and attacks on various countries. This series is meant to be an educational tool to help us build our opposition, and further join in the International Campaign Against U.S. Sanctions. This Statement focuses on Nicaragua.
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As many people know, the U.S. government has long aimed to dominate Nicaragua and its valuable raw materials, labor power, and strategic position. The U.S. government invaded Nicaragua in 1853, with U.S. Marines destroying the town of Greytown. It installed a U.S. citizen, William Walker, as president. The U.S. intervened militarily in Nicaragua several other times, including a U.S. Marine occupation in 1912 that lasted for more than 20 years. Throughout, the U.S. government was opposing efforts by the Nicaraguan people to establish a government independent of the U.S.
RELATED CONTENT: Nicaragua – Singing in the Rain
The U.S. government spent a lot of money and had a lot of Nicaraguans killed in an effort to defeat the Sandinista Revolution of 1979. This Revolution overthrew the U.S.-sponsored Somoza family dynasty, and established a government led by Daniel Ortega. This Revolutionary government made many social reforms and made ties with other governments who were opposing domination by the U.S. government, such as Cuba and Venezuela..
Ortega is the elected President today, and the U.S. government is doing much to try and achieve regime change. It has been spending many millions through the U.S. Agency for International Development and through the National Endowment for Democracy to train people to oppose the government, such as the attempted coup in 2018.
Since the coup attempt the U.S. government has kept up a barrage against the Nicaraguan government.
–John Bolton, as national security adviser, said he looked forward to watching the government of Nicaragua fall.
–The U.S. government continues to lie and say that the Nicaraguan elections have not been free and fair, though they have been verified by international observers.
— It has violated international law and imposed sanctions and directives to discourage international loans and foreign investment and stifle local businesses that use imported components and software.
— President Trump has declared Nicaragua an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
–Trump signed a NICA Act bill passed unanimously by Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, a bill which sanctions many Nicaraguan officials and Nicaraguan assets and discourages loans from international lenders.
RELATED CONTENT: The US Contracts out its Regime Change Operation in Nicaragua
–On March 5 the House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution demanding more sanctions against the Nicaraguan government. There was no discussion whatsoever on the resolution and it passed in just a few minutes. This substantiates the well known opinion that in matters of foreign policy there is virtually no difference between the two ruling parties. They both care only for profits of the banks and corporations and use concerns about democracy as a screen.
–In April Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for regime change in Nicaragua.
–Making U.S. aims perfectly clear, on May 22, a U.S. Treasury Office statement on new sanctions has the headline: “Treasury Sanctions Senior Nicaraguan Officials, Increasing Pressure on President Ortega’s Regime.”
–On July 31, there was leakage of a written plan by the U.S. government for organizing over the next two years the media, businessmen, nongovernmental organizations and students for the overthrow of the elected Nicaraguan government. This is to be by a coup led by a private U.S. military force and the U.S. Embassy in or around the 2021 elections (See afgj.org/nicanotes and Grayzone.com).
To sum up, the latest U.S. sanctions on Nicaragua are obviously just further steps by the U.S. ruling class and its banks and corporations to dominate Nicaragua and keep it from allying with other countries opposing U.S. domination.
The sanctions have been supported unanimously by Democrats and Republicans in the Congress.
So, why appeal to Congress to stop this, which some groups are calling for?
How about if we see that there is a ruling class capitalist system in operation here in the U.S. that we need to oppose and get organized against?
