Rep. Hyde and Nicaragua

Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) in his Op-Ed piece, (“And So We Capitulate,” Aug. 11) laments the disarming of the Contras, and the approval of that action by the Central American presidents. He sees it as both a debacle and a consequence of the failure of the liberal Democrats in Congress to support the Contras. He conveniently overlooks the real reasons for their action. The Central American countries have rarely been in favor of North American intervention in their internal affairs. In addition, the majority of Nicaraguans were never supportive of the Contras, as evidenced by their inability to control any strategic area of the country for any length of time in spite of very powerful logistical support. It was precisely this failure that disinclined further Congressional or Central American support for the Contras, not the response of liberal Democrats or Republicans as Rep. Hyde would have us believe.

Rep. Hyde’s piece reflects a common right-wing response to failed foreign policy; to wit, blame it on the liberals. When China first went communist, liberals were blamed for cutting off support for Chiang Kai-shek, even though his failure to fight the Japanese invaders had alienated him from his own countrymen. The failure of our foreign policy in Vietnam was likewise blamed on the irresolution of liberals to pursue this war with ever more sacrifices of blood and treasure.

The recent events in both China and Russia have revealed fundamental weaknesses in the theory of global threats by international communism to our American way of life. The paranoid preoccupation by the right wing with “Red Threats,” had and has its paranoid counterparts in both Russia and China. It is the fear of imperialistic powers that was used to justify huge military build-ups in both countries.

I think it has become apparent to all thinking people that when the great powers have undertaken to provide military solutions to political problems that the use of the military has only added more complications to the original problem. It matters not whether we are talking about Afghanistan, Vietnam, China or Nicaragua. I’m sure all of Central America is tired of having outside powers bankrolling pseudo-rebellions that wind up as military dictatorships of the right or the left, that favor a few and disadvantage the many.

ARTHUR HUNEVEN

Ojai