US Coup Plans for Nicaragua - in the works since 2007
NSCAG News |
on: Thursday, 29 July 2021
An examination of US State Department, NDI (National Democratic Institute, a function of the National Endowment for Democracy) and USAID (US agency for international development) shows how the US has been planning and preparing for an illegal change of government in Nicaragua since 2007.
Their extensive and continuous communications reveal:
* “final goals” of “regime change” to a government “akin to the interest of the US government”;
* “promote mobilizations against the Government of Daniel Ortega”;
* “the US government, through its Embassy and the USAID have been preparing the conditions to carry out a non-violent coup d’etat against the Nicaraguan government”;
* “create a mass of young people critical of the government”;
* “create a negative opinion about Daniel Ortega”;
* “discredit the electoral process”;
* “promote anti-government awareness in vulnerable sectors of the society”;
* “training young leadership and exerting control over the ‘independent’ means of communication…. looking out on the 2021 elections”;
* “undermining the image of the Nicaraguan government”;
* “strengthening the civil society organizations, the media war and the creation of a platform for young leaders, and, at the same time, guaranteeing an international following”; and
* “training in data journalism and data visualization…to influence on the Nicaraguan public opinion and to create a negative opinion about the Daniel Ortega’s government”, using funds from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
On May 1 2018 Benjamin Waddell authored, “Laying the groundwork for insurrection: A closer look at the U.S. role in Nicaragua’s social unrest,” published by Global Americans (a Latin American news agency whose editor and executive director has deep connections with both AID and National Endowment for Democracy (NED).[https://theglobalamericans.org/.https://www.nscag.org/laying-groundwork.https://www.nscag.org/.]
Adding known monies from AID, National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and the CIA, several hundred million dollars have been devoted specifically to regime change since 2010. As an aside, from 1990-2006, during the three neo-liberal governments in Nicaragua, USAID alone allocated $1.7 billion to Nicaragua, averaging more than $106 million per year, to prop up its puppet government preserving privatisation of the economy, including banks and social services. This figure includes $175 million in the US Millennium Challenge Account, a separate fund for designated “poor” countries.
Since the Sandinista government returned to power in 2007, the NED has continued to annually fund dozens of programmes in Nicaragua educating especially young people on “democracy” and how to best replace the existing "authoritarian" government. AID has also committed millions of dollars every year for regime change.
Finally, on 18 April 2018, the US orchestrated its violent coup with millions of dollars for payoffs/bribes to complicit collaborators and criminals, scripted media campaigns of fake news, and provided sanctuary to opposition leaders involved in violent criminal activities. The coup was defeated by late July, but not without many casualties, opposition destruction of government buildings and houses, murder and torture, arsons, etc. The US has never forgiven the Sandinistas for overthrowing in 1979 their all-time favourite dictator, Somoza.
On July 31 2020, we learned that the US had launched a NEW brazen, criminal and arrogant plan to overthrow Nicaragua’s government. A well orchestrated plan financed by the United States to launch a coup d'état in Nicaragua over the next two years was leaked in a document from the US embassy, called RAIN (Responsive Assistance to Nicaragua). The document describes contracting with a US company to take charge of carrying out the coup, whose purpose is to implement blatantly criminal plans to destroy public order and do other violent actions before, during and/or after the 2021 elections. USAID will continue to fund these destabilising activities, using local partners: public opinion analysts, media, businesspersons, NGOs, students, and social networks to orchestrate false news reports.
According to the plan, the new government (ie. the government which is put in place after the FSLN government is ousted) must immediately submit to the policies and guidelines established by the United States, including persecution of Sandinistas, dissolving the National Police and the Army, among other institutions. The document seeks to aggravate the pandemic, aggravated by the US-imposed illegal sanctions. The opposition has already received more than $31 million from the United States between the end of 2017 and May 1, 2020. The document also details the participation of the US Embassy in Managua, under leadership of US Ambassador Kevin K. Sullivan, who will be in charge of executing a series of diplomatic actions such as the creation of a commission to delegitimise the ousted government while legitimising the new government imposed by a coup d'état.
The above is based on a piece written by Brian Willson. An additional piece by Brian setting out the US obsession with destroying the Nicaraguan revolution and the Sandinista government can be found here.
Brian is an author, activist, lawyer and sociologist/criminologist. His experience in Vietnam transformed his view of the US. He subsequently became a lawyer and has travelled to two dozen countries examining US policies of human rights violations, visiting Nicaragua’a war zones extensively 1986-1990. He is known by many for his blockade of a train in 1987 at the Concord, California, Naval Weapons Station, to prevent the transport of weapons headed for Central America. When the train didn’t stop, Brian was badly injured, including double leg amputations below the knee. But Brian didn’t stop either – he has continued his activism for 50 years, and he has lived in Nicaragua since 2017.
For more about Brian see here
