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    Should America fund the Contras?

    Moderator
    Krogh, Peter F. (Peter Frederic)
    Repository
    DigitalGeorgetown
    Person Interviewed
    Luttwak, Edward
    Pastor, Robert A.
    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?
    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.
    Permanent Link
    http://hdl.handle.net/10822/552661
    Date
    1985-02-17
    Rights
    Rights Note
    For more information about copyright for materials within DigitalGeorgetown, please consult https://www.library.georgetown.edu/copyright/digitalgeorgetown.
    Subject
    Counterrevolutionaries -- Nicaragua; United States -- Foreign relations -- Nicaragua; Nicaragua -- Foreign relations -- United States; United States -- Foreign relations -- 1981-1989; Nicaragua -- Politics and government -- 1979-1990; Conflict and War; United States Role in the World; Contras; Sandinistas; Ronald Reagan; United States Aid to the Contras;
    Location
    Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean; Nicaragua;
    Publisher
    WETA-TV (Television station : Washington, D.C.)
     
    Blackwell Corporation (Washington D.C.)
     
    Georgetown University. School of Foreign Service
     
    South Carolina Educational Television Network
     
    Extent
    28 min.
    Collections
    • Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives Videos
    Metadata
    Show full item record

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    • The Contras and U.S. policy in Central America

      The Contras and U.S. policy in Central America 

      Krogh, Peter F. (Peter Frederic) (WETA-TV (Television station : Washington, D.C.)Blackwell Corporation (Washington D.C.)Georgetown University. School of Foreign ServiceSouth Carolina Educational Television Network, 1987)
      In this interview, Elliott Abrams discusses the situation in Nicaragua and makes the argument for American support of the Contras.
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    Georgetown University Seal
    ©2009 - 2023 Georgetown University Library
    37th & O Streets NW
    Washington DC 20057-1174
    202.687.7385
    digitalscholarship@georgetown.edu
    Accessibility