Nicaragua–United States relations

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Nicaragua–United States relations have been mixed: often tense in the past, but more cooperative today.

A long history of interventions
- In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States frequently intervened in Nicaragua.
- U.S. Marines first landed in 1852 for various protection duties.
- In 1855, William Walker briefly took control of parts of Nicaragua, a flashpoint in a debate about American influence.
- The United States helped different Nicaraguan factions fight each other at times, and in 1914 the Bryan–Chamorro Treaty gave the U.S. significant rights in Nicaragua, including a possible canal.
- The U.S. continued to influence Nicaraguan politics for decades, though intervention largely ended in the 1930s.

From dictatorship to revolution and war in the 20th century
- The Somoza regime (backed by the U.S.) faced growing opposition, including the Sandinista movement in the 1970s.
- After the Sandinistas took power in 1979, the U.S. supported the Contra rebels in an effort to topple them, as part of a broader Cold War struggle.
- The Iran-Contra affair and other actions led to international controversy. In 1986, the International Court of Justice ruled the U.S. had breached international law in Nicaragua, but the United States did not comply.
- In 1989-1990, as regional worries grew, the U.S. supported Nicaragua’s transition toward a democratic election, which brought Violeta Chamorro to the presidency in 1990.

Toward a post-Cold War relationship
- Since 1990, the U.S. has provided substantial aid to Nicaragua, focusing on democracy, economic growth, health, and education.
- The Millennium Challenge Corporation signed a five-year, $175 million aid pact in 2005 to support development.
- Over the years, U.S. policy also dealt with issues like debt relief and resolving claims from Sandinista-era confiscations.

Recent policy and disputes
- In 2016, the United States considered a Nicaraguan election-law bill (often called the NICA Act) to respond to accusations of election fraud, but it faced opposition in Nicaragua and abroad.
- The NICA Act was passed and signed into law in December 2018, during Nicaragua’s protests against the government.
- Nicaragua has also taken steps like cutting ties with the U.S.-based School of the Americas in 2012.

Today
- U.S.-Nicaraguan relations are generally more normal and cooperative, with ongoing work in areas like development, education, and governance. However, past interventions and disputes over democracy and human rights continue to shape how the two countries view each other.