OTHER COMMENTARY / EXCERPTS : Selling the Human Spirit Short

During the decade of the 1980s, the United States spent billions to carry out the war in Central America. Thirty thousand Nicaraguans lost their lives. We imposed economic sanctions until the economy was reduced to a shambles. We mined their harbors in violation of international law, then thumbed our nose at the World Court when its decision went against us. Finally, we openly financed the political campaign of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.

If a country we depended on--say, Japan--were to cut us off economically, finance terrorist attacks against us and fund one party in an election campaign, we would be outraged at the violation of international law and treaties. We would hardly call the elections free and fair.

We should strive for democracy everywhere in the world. But we should define democracy and support it with one set of rules. As we seek to gain the trust of our children and encourage moral behavior and raise ethical standards, we must not let our hypocritical version of democracy in Nicaragua stand as the example.