The Future of Central America
It occurs to me the debate over Central America centers around this question: Are we a moral force in the world, true to our nation’s dichotomous founding and swathed in isolationism; or are we a political force in the world, also true to our nation’s founding by ferociously protecting our interests?
This question forms the backdrop of not only the pro- and anti-Contra debate, but our whole policy of supporting dictators we “control” (Augusto Pinochet in Chile, former Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza, former Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and Panama strongman Manuel Noriega). We have a major role on the world stage, yet we seem to have no stomach for it.
JOSEPH W. DOHERTY
Los Angeles
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