Should America fund the Contras?

Should America fund the Contras?

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Should America fund the Contras?

dc.contributor	WETA-TV (Television station : Washington, D.C.)	en_US
dc.contributor	Blackwell Corporation (Washington D.C.)	en_US
dc.contributor	Georgetown University. School of Foreign Service	en_US
dc.contributor	South Carolina Educational Television Network	en_US
dc.coverage.spatial	Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean	en_US
dc.coverage.spatial	Nicaragua	en_US
dc.creator	Edward Luttwak (Interviewee)	en_US
dc.creator	Robert A. Pastor (Interviewee)	en_US
dc.creator	Krogh, Peter F. (Peter Frederic) (Moderator)	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2012-01-20T22:50:29Z
dc.date.available	2012-01-20T22:50:29Z
dc.date.created	1985-02-17	en_US
dc.date.issued	1985-02-17
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10822/552661
dc.description	With the rise of the left-wing Sandinista government in Nicaragua, the United States found itself facing an unfriendly power supplied by the Soviet Union and backed by Cuban military advisors. Unable to oppose the Sandinista government overtly, the Untied States began covertly funding the Contras, a guerrilla group dedicated to removing the Sandinistas from power. The CIA's covert aid to the Contras quickly became the worst kept secret in Washington, however, and Congress cut off all American funding. Despite this setback, by 1985 more than 15,000 Contras were operating throughout Nicaragua, and even without assistance from the United States their numbers continued to grow. President Reagan was determined to continue supporting these "freedom fighters" in their fight against communism, but ultimately the decision fell to Congress. As Capitol Hill debated whether the United States should fund the Contras, policymakers asked themselves, can the Contras win in Nicaragua, and is it in the United States' interests to assist in the attempt to overthrow a sovereign government? In this episode, guests Edward Luttwak of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Robert Pastor of the University of Maryland discuss these questions and the issue of American aid to the Contras.	en_US
dc.description.abstract	Examines the issue of American funding for the Contras in Nicaragua and asks, is it in America's interests to support forces fighting our opponents abroad?	en_US
dc.format.extent	28 min.	en_US
dc.format.medium	MPG4 H.264	en_US
dc.language	English	en_US
dc.relation	Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archive	en_US
dc.relation.uri	https://mediapilot.georgetown.edu:443/sharestream2gui/getMedia.do?action=streamMedia&mediaPath=0d21b62020c9a63f0121540685fb0263&cid=0d21b62018c663370119bf04f6be0a8b
dc.source	American Interests	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	Counterrevolutionaries -- Nicaragua	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	United States -- Foreign relations -- Nicaragua	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	Nicaragua -- Foreign relations -- United States	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	United States -- Foreign relations -- 1981-1989	en_US
dc.subject.lcsh	Nicaragua -- Politics and government -- 1979-1990	en_US
dc.subject.other	Contras	en_US
dc.subject.other	Sandinistas	en_US
dc.subject.other	Ronald Reagan	en_US
dc.subject.other	United States Aid to the Contras	en_US
dc.title	Should America fund the Contras?	en_US
dc.coverage	Conflict and War	en_US
dc.coverage	United States Role in the World	en_US