Revolutions and Tyrants

The dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza was still fought against and protested. Daniel Ortega’s daily murders, however, are barely noticed. A commentary by Karl von Habsburg.

Many readers probably no longer even remember Anastasio Somoza’s dictatorship in Nicaragua. He was overthrown almost 40 years ago. The revolutionaries seized power. In the Central American country, the Sandinistas established a regime that was just as communist as Fidel Castro’s in Cuba. The war continued for years. The USA supported the so-called Contras in their fight against the socialist regime.

Meanwhile, the Sandinistas had even lost power once. But for years now, they have been back. Daniel Ortega, one of the revolutionaries from the 70s, who had previously been head of a revolutionary government, now rules the country with a brutal hand.

The socialist experiment in Nicaragua ended as all socialist experiments end: in bitter poverty and brutal oppression. Like all socialist regimes, Daniel Ortega’s can count on the sympathy of the left-wing mainstream worldwide. Imagine if a member of the Somoza clan had come to power in Nicaragua and governed as Anastasio once did. It would be reported daily in the news. The sympathisers of the revolution would demonstrate in all parts of the world. The right-wing government would be condemned by the international community.

Not so when socialist revolutionaries govern. For months, the people of Nicaragua have been protesting against Daniel Ortega’s brutal regime. In recent weeks, more than 400 people have been killed by the Sandinistas’ thug gangs. The bishops of the predominantly Catholic country are opposing the communist regime. Meanwhile, churches are being looted and destroyed, priests and bishops violently attacked, and people killed by the regime’s henchmen.

Little is heard, seen, or read in the news about the war against its own population. There are no solidarity messages from intellectuals. The international community remains silent.

In its foreign policy, Europe is very fond of wagging its finger when it comes to gender mainstreaming and climate diplomacy. The silence regarding the murders in Nicaragua, unfortunately, speaks volumes about political bias.

The article originally appeared on Karl von Habsburg’s website.