Venezuelan and Iranian Involvement in Nicaragua: Benevolence or Strategy?

Ortega, Chavez, and Ahmadinejad share smiles and a handshake.

Nicaraguan's Worry About Ortega's Foreign Friends

By Dave Graham

Reuters

January 17, 2012

Citation: http://tinyurl.com/893sp2v

MANAGUA (Reuters) - Nicaragua's left-wing President Daniel Ortega has won over many critics at home with a successful drive to cut poverty and spur business-friendly policies in Central America's poorest country. But his choice of friends abroad makes many Nicaraguans worry that the former guerrilla and Cold War icon is dragging down the country's reputation and unnecessarily antagonizing the United States and other Western countries.

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Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega recently won his second straight term thanks to his efforts to ameliorate poverty in Nicaragua, with the help of Venezuelan oil money. Both Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were present at Ortega’s inauguration. However, Nicaraguans fear that these relationships are negatively impacting the country and affecting global opinion about Nicaragua. Many Nicaraguans indicated that Ortega fails to think for himself; rather, he is merely Chavez’s puppet. Others voiced concerns over the motives for increased Venezuelan influence in Nicaragua. As of recently, Chavez has contributed money to provide water, electricity, and housing for this impoverished country. The question is, to what end? Regarding increased Iranian involvement in Nicaragua, many Nicaraguans fail to see what benefits Nicaragua will accrue in engaging in such close relations with Iran, a nation that has recently added fire to the global flames with its nuclear program, and one who has also yet to provide any monetary aid to Nicaragua.

First off, there are many ways to define global interconnectedness. The past few years, Iran has strategically cultivated friendships with several Latin America countries, namely Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. The recent launch of an Iranian Spanish television channel (see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16809053) and the visit of Iranian President Ahmadinejad to four Latin American countries in early 2012 definitely indicate strategic Iranian involvement in Latin America. While this involvement does not scream of the stereotypical neo-imperialistic efforts of the West in Africa, I cannot help but see the similarities. I mean, Iran’s involvement in Latin America is definitely for its own self-interest. Given Western frustrations with Iran’s nuclear program, Ahmadinejad may be using his Latin American ties to win favor and garner more support for his country who, in the midst of the potential conflict in the Straight of Hormuz, is not quite in global favor. Iran needs some friends right now, and Ahmadinejad is shopping in Latin America.

As the article indicated, the U.S. has issued its perception of the situation, namely that Iran is creating strategic friendships with allies in America’s backyard (big surprise there). But even more significant are the Nicaraguan voices protesting the relationship between Nicaragua and Iran. Obviously, any ‘development’ aid that Iran would provide to Nicaragua would just be a ruse to buy Nicaraguan support. It is strategic because Iran could subversively provide money, which impoverished Nicaragua definitely needs and wouldn’t turn down, and later cash in on that. After all, nothing comes without a price. In my opinion, Iran is using ally partnerships and the promise of future funds to take advantage of Nicaragua. Whatever Iran’s motives are in Latin America, they obviously do not have the best interest of Nicaraguans in mind, which reminds me in a bizarre way of neo-colonialism.

What I also found interesting was the connection between Venezuela and Nicaragua, and the point raised by Nicaraguans about what Chavez’s interests truly are in Nicaragua. It is hard to determine why Venezuela is so deeply imbedded in Nicaraguan affairs, but again, I liken it to a subversive strategic way to ensure that Nicaragua, a country riddled with poverty, is always indebted to Venezuela. In potentially another stretch, this relationship between Nicaragua and Venezuela reminds me of Dependency Theory in the way that Venezuela is perpetuating Nicaraguan dependency by providing Chavez’s petrodollars to help battle Nicaraguan poverty.