Nicaragua’s dictatorship defies the Donroe Doctrine

The Nicaraguan regime has announced the end of elections. It has decided to establish a formal dynasty that embraces North Korea and defies the new Monroe Doctrine.

The closeness between the Nicaraguan tyranny and North Korea’s regime is not merely a political metaphor; it is rooted in a historical relationship spanning over 50 years. In 1971, guerrilla fighter Plutarco Hernandez participated in a military training course in North Korea. The objective was to support “the liberation of peoples” — that is, to establish a totalitarian Marxist model in the United States’ backyard. 

In 1979, the Sandinista guerrillas came to power after defeating the Somoza dictatorship, which had been close to the U.S. During this new phase, North Korean military cooperation and assistance continued — albeit on a modest scale — in the form of weapons, patrol boats, and military training.

In April 1984, Gen. Humberto Ortega — President Daniel Ortega’s brother — traveled to Pyongyang to finalize an arms purchase, even as Nicaragua was starving. For years, the dictatorship blamed the U.S. (“the empire”) for its plight. In reality, the problem lay elsewhere: a model of corruption that squandered millions on weaponry and graft while the people suffered in misery.

President Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, visited North Korea in September 1986. The Marxist dictator met with the patriarch Kim Il Sung, who expressed solidarity and........

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