Lesson 20: US Intervention in Central America Part 1

November 8, 2022

Review:

• Ecuador
• Coca
• Drug Cartels
• How much is the illegal drug trade in Annual Revenue?

Presentation:

• Geography of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
  • Map Quiz
  • Countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.
• Nicaragua, Honduras and the Iran-Contra Affair
  • My primary source: Stephen Kinzer
  • Iran-Contra Primer (History Channel, 04:53)
  • Contras based in Honduras, linked to Cocaine trade
  • Not only Nicaragua, Honduras and/or Iran-Contra; one of many similar incidents
• Nicaragua
  • Occupied by US Marine Corp 1927-1933
  • Somoza family dictatorship 1936-1979
  • Sandinista Revolution
  • Reagan administration supports Contras
  • Iran-Contra Scandal
  • Sandinista-Contra conflict killed 50,000+
  • Harvest of Empire (54:00-1:01:40)
  • I visited Nicaragua in 2016
    • Stayed in Grenada
    • Saw the inside of a volcano
    • Day trip to León, capital of the Sandinista revolution
      • Museo Historico de la Revolucion
      • Original campus of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, UNAN
  • Nicaragua Today – a new revolution?
    • Inside the Nicaraguan Town Resisting President Daniel Ortega (NY Times)
    • Daniel Ortega (President of Nicaragua)
    • Rosario Murillo (Vice President of Nicaragua)
    • Nuns Expelled from Nicaragua (NBC 3 min)

Assignment:

• Watch Harvest of Empire (01:27:02)