John Perry: 'Opposition behind the violence in Nicaragua'

[Judi Lynn]

John Perry gives his account of the country’s protests from Masaya

Fri 27 Jul 2018 11.48 EDT

Your report says Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua’s president, is facing a “nationwide revolt” by “peaceful” protesters (Ortega decries ‘terrible lies’ over protest deaths in rare interview, 25 July). I live in the city of Masaya, which was under opposition control for three months, with the streets blocked by hundreds of barricades. Here, briefly, is what happened.

. . .

John Perry
Masaya, Nicaragua

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/27/opposition-behind-the-violence-in-nicaragua

[PuraVidaDreamin]

1. I don't understand what is going on.

Been in grad school and have not had the time to understand much beyond our own countries disfunctions. Is the US behind this upset?

[Vogon_Glory]

2. It Might Be Local Factors

I doubt that it's the US government. There are plenty of third-world governments who can make bad economic decisions, apply the wrong remedies, and then find out that their citizenry are upset with what happens. Blaming US corporations and the US government for the ills of Latin American politics and society is a decades-old leftist habit that all too often ignores the real causes of economic and political turnmoil.

These are no longer the days of the United Fruit Corporation and Calvin Coolidge sending in the Marines. The Mexican drug cartels practice a bloodthirsty neo-colonialism even more brutal than the UFC ever did.

[GatoGordo]

3. Synopsis: Ortega was elected presidente many years ago. Then unelected.

He got re-elected (2007) when he softened his Marxist tone and embrace his "lost Catholicism". Entrepreneurs decided to give him a chance, business flourished, jobs were created and the tide started rising, lifting all boats. Crime dropped dramatically. (Funny... crime goes down when people have hope for prosperity? Trump could learn that lesson!)

Then, (2011) he decided it was time to consolidate power (enter Cuban style politics). The Sandinista Youth brigades. The "Turbas Divinas" (Divine Mobs). Sycophants galore. His wife was now vice president(2016), and suddenly named the Glorious Leader of State Nepotism and Jefe of Propaganda. He rolled back various freedoms (news, assembly, protest) along the way. Like Chavez, Ortega decided to buy votes with wealth he didn't have. When it came time to write the checks that he couldn't cash, he rolled back the benefits he has showered upon his believers, and went after the entrepreneurs who had trusted him. The young, old, poor, students and entrepreneurs had had enough. They started protesting Ortega's grip on power a few months ago.

These nearly 400 deaths (could be more now) are his un-uniformed FSLN enforcers doing what the Castroists have taught them. Nicaragua is heading down the same shit hole that Venezuela went down.