With The Contras: A Reporter In The Wilds Of Nicaragua

by Christopher Dickey

An account of the "secret" war in Central America concentrates on the people involved, from "Suicida," a sergeant in the Samozoan National Guard, and his guerrillas caught in the daily violence, to CIA operatives

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, War, Journalism, Military Fiction, Latin American History

339 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Christopher Dickey is a war correspondent, historian, and thriller writer, an authority on terrorism, and a memoirist. He is the Paris-based foreign editor of The Daily Beast, and is a contributor to NBC/MSNBC News. Chris also has been a frequent commentator on CNN, the BBC, and NPR. He was formerly a bureau chief for Newsweek in Paris and Cairo, and for The Washington Post in Central America and the Middle East.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dickey spent some time dodging bullets with the Contra comandante "Suicida" in the north of Nicaragua and his vivid recollections of that time form the heart of the book. But his reconstruction of the creation of the Contras (the Nicaraguan Democratic Forces, or FDN) following the 1979 Sandinista revolution is just as fascinating. His thoroughly reported history is a glimpse into the murky world of CIA covert operations, touching on El Salvador's network of right-wing death squads, Cuban-funded left-wing guerrillas, and the ever-shifting alliances of Latin American politics. The narrative swashbuckles like a spy thriller, but, you know, in real life.

The picture that emerges of Suicida in particular and the Contras in general is not pretty. While many of the Contra footsoldiers were small farmers with legitimate grievances with the (often corrupt and/or incompetent) Sandinista government, the book makes clear that the Contras were birthed by exiled officers of Somoza's guardia, nurtured by significant funding from the CIA and given political cover from the highest reaches of the Reagan administration. It's no surprise that war turns out to be hell, and Dickey describes in detail the unrestrained violence of the contra forces: attacks on civilian centers, bus bombings, bridge detonations, land mines, forced conscription, execution of prisoners, even the mining of a civilian harbor.

The main message that emerges from the narrative is that conflict strengthens the hard-liners on both sides, making negotiation impossible. Reagan believed the Sandinistas to be a Soviet beach-head in the Americas, so he organized a Contra assault on the country. The Sandinistas responded by declaring a state of emergency and turning to Russia for support and arms. The ideologues on both sides were able to say to their more conciliatory colleagues, "See, I told you so."

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up a copy of this book at a thrift store to learn a bit more about other parts of the world. Of course I remember a little bit about the Iran-Contra affair from my childhood in which Reagan exchanged arms for Nicaraguan Contras for Iranian prisoners (using forgetfulness as an excuse). This book came before all of that was exposed. It was written while the Contras, who were a group of ex-death squad assassins, were killing peasants with American arms fighting against Sandanistas, funded by the Soviets. This is a classic tale of "there ain't no good guys, there ain't no good guys." Sadists funded by superpowers to prove a political point, and eventually doing themselves in by drunkenly killing each other in drunken bouts of rage fighting over prostitutes, killing the future of their own country. Meanwhile the Sandanista leader, Daniel Ortega still rules Nicaragua, casting doubts on the effectiveness of America's secret wars. All this absurdity is best expressed in the US policy of paramilitary operations being able achieve their objective and remain deniable. Both were failures in Nicaragua.

[Caroline Bobick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written history of Nicaragua from 1979-1983 taken mainly from the perspective of the Contras and people from the United States who found themselves involved in the conflict. It focused primarily on combat, strategy, and the unique personalities and backgrounds of various contra commanders. I am very interested to keep learning more about Nicaragua during these years, but perhaps through a different lens.

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good objective coverage of the US sponsored counter-revolutionary groups in Nicaragua, as I recall.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an engaging, first-hand account of the "Secret War" funded by the United States against Nicaragua in the 1980's. The Nicaraguan dictator was overthrown in 1979 during the Carter administration, known for its "weak" foreign policy. The Reagan administration was fervently anti-communist and did everything in its power, legal and illegal, to topple the Sandinistas.

On the heals of a successful revolution in 1980, the Sandinistas were at a crossroads. Should they help the leftists in Salvador in their revolutionary fight, or should Nicaragua simply look after itself? Helping the rebels would certainly evoke the wrath of the United States, but not helping them could be interpreted as a betrayal of their revolutionary principles.

So the Sandinistas starting sending weapons to the rebels, the United States caught them in the act, and they cut off aid to Nicaragua. This decision was economically crippling, so the Sandinistas pledged to stop, but the Reagan administration would not reverse their decision. Knowing that nothing could change the situation, the Sandinistas resumed their arms shipments and turned to aid from the Soviet Union, who was perfectly happy to antagonize the United States. This situation is a perfect example of how political extremists destroy moderate positions, polarize governments and citizenry, and effectively fulfill their own prophecies: there is no middle ground, there are only good guys and bad guys.

Congress approved some money to help intercept weapons that were being transported to El Salvador, but the Reagan administration directed all its energies to "pressuring" the Sandinistas. At first, the United States turned to Argentina, fresh from its own "Dirty War", to lead the counter-revolution in Nicaragua. Finding them lacking, the CIA did a lot of the work itself, destroying oil refineries, blowing bridges, and even mining harbors, flouting international law. The World Court found the United States guilty, but the Reagan administration simply ignored its ruling.

This book intimately depicts the leaders of the Contra War, the ambiguity of their role and support within Nicaragua, and the utter chaos that followed them. Journalist Christopher Dickey went into the pitch of battle with a Contra commander named "Suicida" and barely came out alive. Dickey's lively prose enables the reader to imagine what it was like to be caught up on the Nicaraguan-Honduran border at tragic and violent period in recent history.

What are we as Americans to make of the Contra War? As outsiders ourselves, we are really not entitled to side with the Sandinistas, Somocistas, Liberales, or any other Nicaraguan political group. But we can render judgment on our own country's foreign policy. And ultimately, we have to choose sides. On the one hand, we have Jimmy Carter, who won the Nobel Peace Prize. On the other, we have Ronald Reagan, who effectively ended the Cold War and rid the world of the Soviets. These two men used radically different means to carry out their aims, and both were successful in reaching their goals. How we view these men, their foreign policy, and their role in history largely determines how we as Americans view Nicaragua and its politics.

Now that the Sandinistas are back in power in Nicaragua, how is the United States going to act this time? Will they take a hardline approach and drive them into the arms of the Venezuelans, or will they support a push towards more moderate policy in Nicaragua? History is unfolding right now, so don't miss out.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book on an idyllic beach in Nicaragua, and not even the sun could cheer me up after reading parts of this narrative. It's a good account of the political back-story before the revolution and a graphic description of the early part of the Contra war. Not for the feint of heart, but I'm so glad to have read something about this time in Central American history. It made me hate the US government and the CIA, feel for the Nicaraguan people, and decide that most wars are just not worth it. Oh, and just in case someone I know is ever in charge of a revolution, I think the historical record shows that post-revolutionary governments work best when the power is spread amongst LARGE groups of people. Not 9 guys. Never 9 guys.

[Ian Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quite sympathetic portrayal of an unpopular subject, the Nicaraguan Contras of the 1980s. The author views them from the perspective of the defeated soldiers of the former dictatorship, and describes them in action. Their backers remain shadowy. A human portrayal, without political or religious polemic, and therefore a minor historical work.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite fact from this book was that the first operation undertaken by one right-wing Nicaraguan militant organization was to attempt to blow up a radio station that a left-wing Argentine militant organization was running from the capital of Costa Rica. The rest was good, too.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

disturbing look at the vicious U.S. war against Nicaragua