Daniel Ortega’s address on the anniversary of the Somocista killing of Comandante Carlos Fonseca: “The battle that humanity is waging today is a battle of Life or Death, for all of humanity” On the one hand there are the peoples in favor of peace, even in Israel, in Israel the people have marched, crying out for peace; of course, with pain too, because Israel has had victims of what is the sinister plan they [US and Israel] have launched, a sinister plan for war that the empires have launched.
And the one responsible for this macabre plan, the one who is at the forefront of this criminal plan, is US imperialism, it is the US ruling class, it is the major US corporations, the arms manufacturers in the United States who are doing huge business, and they care little about the blood that is being spilled.
We share the pain of the families who have suffered losses in Israel, but one ends up wondering whether it might not be the imperialist plan given the weakness they have in the war in Ukraine, given their involvement in that war in Ukraine.
The fact that the countries that call themselves civilized and democratic continue to fuel this brutal, bestial war of the State of Israel, of the government of Israel, which is no more than the government of the United States, is simply part of a strategy: because it was in theirs interest to open another front where they could join in, where all the forces that are also involved in Ukraine could work together.
John Perry: US sanctions hit Nicaragua’s social investment programs Following an interview with Finance Minister Ivan Acosta, Perry reports that Nicaragua’s government will spend about 24% more in 2024 than in the current year, which includes a huge increase (43%) in public-sector investment. Nicaragua’s per capita income is one of the lowest in Latin America, so poverty alleviation is a high priority. It might be expected that the World Bank and other international institutions would be helping the country to achieve this goal. And yes, they were, but now they aren’t. The country’s “development is being held back by politically motivated withholding of loans.”
When the revolutionary Sandinista government regained power in 2007, only $70-80 million was arriving from institutions like the World Bank: a decade later, it had reached $300-400 million, because the banks knew the money would be wisely spent. The country has been denied funding worth between $2.5 and $3 billion in total since 2018, all of which would have been earmarked for social programs.
John Perry: The Journey North Until two years ago, few Nicaraguans migrated north. But then numbers making the journey suddenly increased. According to the White House, they were ‘fleeing political persecution and communism’, but none of the migrants or their families I have spoken to have ever mentioned this as a motive. The real reasons are the dream of supposedly well-paid jobs and, until recently, the promise of favorable treatment at the border. This year numbers have fallen sharply because border practices have changed and deportations have begun. Instead, Nicaraguans (along with would-be migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela) can apply for what’s called ‘humanitarian parole’.
So far, some 21,000 Nicaraguans have flown north under this system with permits to work for two years. The debilitating effect this has on Nicaragua adds to that of the US sanctions which apply to all the ‘parole’ countries. Migration replenishes an aging US workforce while damaging the economies of countries whose governments Washington dislikes. It’s a pernicious brain-drain.
Events
Sunday, December 3, Nicaragua Webinar: “Nicaraguan Migration: Myths and Reality.” Speakers: John Perry, author and journalist; and Lenin Munguia, Nicaraguan migrant currently in the US. Spanish-English interpretation provided. To register: https://bit.ly/NicaDec3
September 23 – November 18: virtual course, Ben Linder Solidarity School, 9 week class (two hours a week) Topics include: Nicaragua and the Sandinista Revolution; History and current context of Latin America and US imperialism; ATC and peasant organizations / social movements; Food Sovereignty and Agroecology; Solidarity and Internationalism.
January 27, 2024: Latin America conference in London18th annual conference in solidarity with Latin American progressive movements.
Upcoming Delegations to Nicaragua
Casa Ben Linder 2024 delegations:
January 6-14, Power & Protagonism: Women in Nicaragua (Application deadline 11/15)
January 20-February 1: Advances & Autonomy Brigade: Rights of Indigenous & Afro-Descendant Peoples on Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast
February 10-19: The Bird Brigade: Birding in Solentiname Arquipelago
March 2-10: Sindicatos & Solidaridad: Labor Movements in Nicaragua
July 9-21: Solidarity in Action: Celebrating 45 Years of Revolution in Nicaragua
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Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition: nicasolidarity.net Our monthly zoom meetings: second Monday of the month (December 11), 2:30 PM ET
Email NicaraguaSolidarityCoalition@gmail.com in advance to request Zoom access for the meeting, or to make other inquiries.
Organizations: Apply for coalition membership here This is an important way to increase the influence of our coalition work, as our membership list grows.
Listserve:nicanet@googlegroups.com join at groups.google.com/g/nicanet
Sign up to receive the weekly Nica Notes: https://afgj.org/signup
Facebook: Friends of Sandinista Nicaragua, Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition
Twitter: @SolidarityNica
Instagram: @NicaSolidarity