172 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
172 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Central America, past ]
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[x]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [and present. ]
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[ ]11-12 [ ]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed:7/94 # of Words:1514 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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Central America, just south of Mexico and North of Panama, consists of
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just six countries; Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua,
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and Costa Rica. Of those six, all share a distinct common history except
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for Belize. Belize for one is incredibly small, and while Spanish is the
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official language of other Central American countries, in Belize English is
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spoken. So throughout this paper as I carelessly say 'Central American' I
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am not including Belize whose history and development was far different
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than the others.
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Although Central America is located close to the United States in
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relation to the Eastern Hemisphere, our ways of life are indescribably
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different. When we discuss Poverty in the United States many of us,
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including myself, don't really know what 'poverty' is. It seems like only
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a select few are afflicted by it here and programs like Welfare and Food
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Stamps (with varying degrees of success) seem to lessen the effects.
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In Central America when one speaks about 'poverty' he/she is including a
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large proportion of the population. One measure of poverty is the earning
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power of an individual. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is a measure
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of income is around $12,000 in the United States. In Central America on
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the other hand, the wealthiest Country, Costa Rica, came in at just under
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$2000. Distortion plays a role on the $2000 also, due to the fact the the
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elite-rich have an enormous concentration of wealth and land ownership, the
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real GDP of the poorer half of the population is around $200-$400 a year
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(Pg 10, Booth and Walker). Accompanying poverty or as a result is poor or
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unavailable education, health care, and an extremely bad job market.
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Government 'for the people and by the people is not present is Central
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America'. What is present is a corrupt military- big business conglomerate
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which cares little or none for the common people. The military is
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responsible for enforcement, which includes death squads, torture, and
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public execution. The big businesses who are able to extract an endless
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supply of 'minimum wage' labor, amass great wealth but instead of
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reinvesting it locally, most invest overseas or in capital intensive labor
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whereby local jobs are eliminated.
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Taking all this into effect and the fact that social classes and living
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conditions of many Central Americans are deteriorating rapidly leads some
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to rebellion. Some have taken a path of Passive rebellion. This can be
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seen in literature and popular music which questions the government. Others
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exercise their right to vote (even if it doesn't really matter because the
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results are fraudulently attained). For example, "the 1974, 1978, and 1982
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presidential elections in Guatemala were all fraudulently manipulated by
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military regimes "(Pg 109, Booth and Walker).
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Others take a more active stance. During times of increased repression
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by the government many coalitions and reform-aimed organizations were
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formed. Many were actively involved in large-scale marches, labor strikes,
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and transportation boycotts. A little more on the radical side are the
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Guerilla groups. Composed mostly of peasants fed up with the government
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who see no other way than violence. This guerilla groups have special ties
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to the community. Many times they visit villages explaining their cause
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hoping to recruit new guerrillas. The typical guerilla varies from young
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to old, male to female.
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The Guerillas are a most important part of rebellions but they are not
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effective alone. Their effectiveness is increased greatly when they
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develop formal links with outside organizations and have strong popular
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support. An example of popular support occurred in Guatemala where
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peasants would fight alongside the guerillas, greatly increasing their
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number.
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The Catholic Church was activity involved in rebellion also. They helped
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to organize community and labor groups for the people (Christian base
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communities). These groups gave people the inspiration and mass power to
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combat the government. Although the Catholic clergy did not fight
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violently alongside the guerillas, their lives were at risk, and some were
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taken.
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A situation that combines all these ideas happened not too long ago in
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Nicaragua. All the hardships discussed earlier were present : extreme
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poverty, corrupt government, and worsening of conditions, driving many to
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rebellion. The early 70's was a time where, unions were repressed, wages
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were set by the military regime, inflation was 10%, and 13% of the working
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class was un/under employed (compared to 5-6% in the United States).
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This set the stage for the 1973-1975 'revitalization of labor movement'
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which included strikes, stoppages, and organization of labor unions.
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Christian Base Communities began to spring up, whose goal was better urban
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services and housing. This point in time was important because due to
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heavy repression by the government, industry and the private sector were
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becoming doubtful and critical of the government. Other groups were
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developed who were anti-Somoza also (Somoza was the president at the time).
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At the same time FSLN, a rebel group of twenty guerilla bands, was
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expanding and gaining popular support. Many university students now
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supported FSLN's actions. As a result the government felt it needed to
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reassert its power once again. This was in the form of widespread
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terrorism and repression, enforced by the National Guard, and practiced for
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years.
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In 1978, the FAO (Broad Opposition Front) was created. Backed by the
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United States, Nicaragua's Catholic hierarchy, and key business interests
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this organization tried unsuccessfully to negotiate an end of the Somozan
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rule before FSLN could take over. This organization seems to have been
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created out of fears, of its backers, of what future Sandinista rule would
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be.
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As a last resort the supporters of FAO, who were "moderate and
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conservative anti-Somozists turned to the Sandinistas as their last option
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" (Pg 66, Booth and Walker). This is a crucial turning point, up until now
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the Sandinistas lacked broad based support. Now they had financial backing
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and access to even greater human resources. This helped FSLN troops grow
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from "500 in 1978 to between 2500-5000 in 1979" (Pg 67, Booth and Walker).
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In doing so FSLN received diplomatic support from France and elsewhere in
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Latin America. Consequently, FSLN was able to purchase arms from abroad.
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To supplement that, many local residents pledged to fight alongside the
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Sandinistas. Truly FSLN was becoming strong.
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Because of this Somoza lost most of his support base. Still by his side
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were, the National Liberal Organization, and of course, the National Guard.
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The Carter administration announced that it "no longer supported Somoza
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rule after an ABC reporter was murdered before his own cameras" in 1979 (Pg
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69, Booth and Walker).
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This was perhaps Somoza's biggest loss. By losing US support he lost
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financing, arms, and the valuable training that he would need to curtail
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the Sandinistas in the near future. Obviously this was detrimental for
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Somoza but the Sandinistas weren't sure where it put them. Would the US
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try to neutralize the Sandinistas and hope for a calm negotiation (Like
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Guatemala in 1954, Cuba in 1961, the Dominican Republic in 1965, and Chile
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in 1973) ?
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A quick answer came in 1980 when Ronald Reagan became President of the
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United States. All through his campaign he denounced the action of the
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Sandinistas and his support of Somoza. This was extremely bad for the
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Sandinistas and their cause but a major boost for Somoza. Reagan quickly
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"appropriated the CIA $19.8 million to organize and train anti-Sandinista
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counter-revolutionary elements" (Pg 70, Booth and Walker), called
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"Contras".
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In 1986, after the Iran-Contra scandal was public, Reagan wasn't sure how
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much more aid he could get to Somoza so he pushed for a major offensive.
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In, 1987, without each side attaining a clear victory, negotiations began.
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In 1990, Daniel Ortega, a Sandinista was voted out of power to a more
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conservative , Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.
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In the end there was basically a stalemate, neither side attained a clear
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victory. Had the United States not intervened things most likely would
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have been very different. Our intervention has left a lasting impression on
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Nicaragua's political and economic situation. In a rebellion which caused
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" $1.5 billion in property loss, a 2% reduction in the overall population,
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and years of turmoil " (Pg 68, Booth and Walker) the domestic market was
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destroyed.
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No one can say whether our actions were justified or not but it will most
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likely be on the minds of many Nicaraguans for a long time to come..
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