This paper, written by Richard E. Feinberg, explains the current political crisis in Nicaragua as they face civil conflict and political violence through the presidency of Daniel Ortega. It argues how Ortega’s rule, alongside his vice president and wife, Rosario Murillo closely resembles that of the Somoza Dynasty, notorious for their autocratic rule over the country for almost half of the twentieth century. The paper also breaks down how the government’s plan to cut funds from their pension system and the ongoing frustration of university students created an insurrection in 2018, which is also what got Nicaragua international attention around the world after Ortega responded with lethal force. Altogether, the paper does a good job in breaking down the factors leading to the current political crisis in Nicaragua.
Something that helped explain Nicaragua’s political crisis in this paper is the author’s use of historical context. The author talked about how the intervention of the United State’s granted power for the Somoza family in the early 20th century. He broke down how both the Somoza’s and Ortega came to power using historical context. Another thing that stood out to me was the use of the author’s notes in the essay, the notes explained where he got information, so the reader can use them as a reference to his sources. Also, he left small pieces of information in the notes that he felt were necessary for the reader.
This source is critical for my research because my research group project will be focussing on the current political crisis in Nicaragua. I feel that this essay serves as a great overview or breakdown of what is happening in Nicaragua. However, I am not sure yet if that will be our research topic or maybe we might change it to a particular aspect of the situation like the insurgency, or political violence, etc. I do believe this can be used as a general source for doing research on human rights in Latin America because the situation is Nicaragua serves as an example to argue that human rights violations and political violence are real in that part of the world.
