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Who Is President Reagan's Determination To Promote Democracy In Nicaragua

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There were too many interests at stake for the US, and the immediate goal was to diminish the government of Nicaragua which was controlled by the Sandinistas. Therefore, Honduras was in the middle of political controversy with no-guaranteed outcome. At the heart of Reagan's foreign policy was the prevention of communist expansion. For that purpose, the United States became heavily involved in wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration described its involvement as an effort to stem Soviet influence in the hemisphere. President Reagan determination to promote democracy in Central America was not only his policy but his priority−at least on paper.
“I expressed my determination to see democracy prevail in Central America. It is already the policy of the US Government to promote democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere. The …show more content…

Additionally, he emphasized how the Sandinistas and its Marxist-Leninist regime represented destabilization to its neighbors. Even though his statements were powerful, they needed to be supported with actions. Therefore, strong financial and military support of the Contras against the communist Nicaraguan government, and the aid given to the government of El Salvador in their fight against the communist guerrillas were critical. In the case of Nicaragua's contra guerrillas, which were created to fight the revolutionary Sandinista government, Reagan referred to the Contras as "the moral equivalent of the Founding Fathers" and the United States spent $1 billion on them; the fighting in Nicaragua killed as many as 50,000 people while Honduras served as a staging ground for US Nicaraguan

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