Talk:Foreign Interventions of the Reagan Administration

What about Libya? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.72.215.225 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.72.215.225 (talk • contribs) at 18:43, 13 February 2006. Yea, what about Libya? The US military bombed Tripoli, causing some destruction and allegedly threatening Qaddafi's life, in 1986. Another wikipedia article says it was in retaliation for a terrorist attack blamed on Libya?--RayToy 09:21, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

This page is full of bias. I had to make some edits. To begin with, the Contras could not have been mostly composed of "ex-Guardia". At their peak in 1979, there were roughly 6,000 national gaurd troops. About 4000 were captured by the Sandinista government. Hundreds were executed without trial and others were sentenced to life in prison. Many also fled to live permanantly in South America or the USA with the money they were able to steal before the fall of Somoza's dictatorship. Thus there is a problem when considering that at their peak, the FDN which was the largest Contra Army, had about 40,000 members. The reality was that the Contras were far from being a homogeneous group. The Milpas which were the largest anti-Somoza indigeneous force became the large anti-Sandinista indigeneous force and decided to join the FDN in the early 80's because of the CIA's great resources even though they were to be led by Ex-Guardia which they hated. Another group was ARDE in the southern border which had nothing to do with the CIA or ex-guardia. This was led by Eden Pastora, a former Sandinista hero who became disillusioned with the FSLN's complete abuse of power and undemocratic take over of the government in 1979. Another large group were the Mestizo Contra movements in the Atlantic. Thousands of Mestizo who wanted nothing to do with the FSLN's socialist revolutions decided to flee north to Honduras and subsequently joined the large Contra movement. The leader of the Mestizos, Fagoth, fought in the mountains for four years against the Sandinistas. There are many other groups of Contras who had no connection to the guardia and did not commit any atrocities. The term "Contra" or "Contrarevoluccionario" was coined by the Sandinistas themselves as a deragotory term for people we were against their revolution. A Contra did not have to wield arms or fight in the jungles. Contras were also found in the cities and in opposition parties who were brutally repressed by the FSLN.

I certainly agree that this page needs to be edited immediately. The legacy portion of this article is a page out of neo-conservative handbook, with little regard for the massive amount of poverty that is found in Latin America.—Preceding unsigned comment added by Akshaisingh (talk • contribs)

You are right, that section should be deleted. Vints 08:31, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

Even though I am an ex post facto supporter of the Reagan doctrine, I think that the legacy section should be edited for balance, but not deleted. Nicaraga and El Salvadore DID in fact become democracies after the civil war, enough so that Ortega is now president in one and the FMLN controls the congress in the other. This should be noted as a positve effect of the Reagan Doctrine. How ever democracy isn't everything, and these countries, even now at peace, and, generally free, are still quite poor and that needs to be addressed. The record is different in South America. It isn't offen noted how many SA countries became democracies during his presidency. I don't know haw much he himself was involved in this, but if the US is blamed for everything bad that happens down there, it should at least deserve a mention. --70.112.236.174 22:38, 21 April 2007 (UTC)