Washington's War on Nicaragua

by Holly Sklar

Book Overview

An account of U.S. policy from the Sandinista revolution through the Iran-contra scandal and beyond. Sklar shows how the White House sabotaged peace negoatiations and sustained the deadly contra war despite public opposition, with secret U.S. special forces and an auxiliary arm of dictators, drug smugglers and death squad godfathers, and illuminates an alternative policy rooted in law and democracy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0896082954
• ISBN13: 9780896082953
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: South End Press
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Dangerous to remember...

The war against Nicaragua is staring into the same memory hole that other unpleasant chapters of American history get dropped into by politicians, much of the media, and ultimately the people. Way, way back in the 80s, the US launched an illegal war OF terror against the mighty Central American empire of Nicaragua, which was threatening to destroy the United States and our very way of life. So evil was this nation, so dangerous, that they had to be crushed, to the point that it's easily one of the most dirt-poor nations in the hemisphere. Starting up their own Reich, eliciting the support of the Evil Empire (since no one else would help), Nicaragua is a classic example of what happens when puppets no longer follow orders and want to go off on their own.Holly Sklar has written an in-depth, meticulously researched book that betrays little bias, since the well-known and easily verifiable facts speak for themselves. The story is very ugly, indeed. So egregious was the US that we were condemned by the World Court for 'unlawful use of force', a nice euphamism for, well, aggression, terrorism, etc. After hearing this unacceptable verdict, the US responded by walking out of the World Court, and escalating the war. The contempt for international law continues unabated.The book is very detailed, and well-indexed. You can focus on certain chapters without losing the overall story, and indeed many Americans will recall all the hoopla, nicely spun by the media then and now. Of course, some of the very players are still on the scene today, with Oliver North now a respectable Fox News employee, and John Negroponte displaying his characteristic dedication to the Third World in his new role in Iraq.Highly recommended reading for any American, this book will not be found next to your latest fashionable pundit's 'book'. It does, however, give an insight into how world powers behave, then and certainly now.

The truth about this undeclared war.

I read this book in the early 1990's. There was considerable interest in the subject back then. There were numerous other books about the U.S. war on Nicaragua at the time. I believe that this book will endure as the best book about that era. Ms. Sklar paints the picture, entirely documented with exacting precision of the U.S. undeclared war against this tiny state, population of 3.5 million. The U.S started it and maintained it. How many Americans know that the World Court in the Hague found the U.S. guilty of war crimes in Nicaragua in 11/84. What was the U.S. response-we walked out of the World Court, rather than obey it's verdict. Read about it in this book-p.170. Only three countries ever walked out of the world court in it's entire history, Iran,Iceland and Albania. I don't know about Iceland but the other two put us in pretty undistinguished company. In this latter day, when Iconization of Ronald Reagan is the mode people should read this book to see just how obsessive the man was on the subject of Nicaragua and the Contras. Ms. Sklar shows how illegal and ruthless that obsession was.