We need a Nixon to China moment in Latin America

For those readers who know me well, you know how hard it is for me to refrain from writing a blatantly political post.  Well I can’t wait any longer.  We need a Nixon to China moment in Latin American and there is no place better than right here in Nicaragua.

What is a Nixon to China moment?  It occurred when President Nixon, a Republican who made his career as a staunch anticommunist, surprised everyone and met with Chairman Mao and started the normalization of relations between the two countries.  This only worked because Nixon had the credibility as an anticommunist.

So what is up in Central and South America?  In one word, it is the Chinese.  They seem to be everywhere.  They are buying access to vast quantities of natural resources.  More importantly they are making investments in the Central and South American countries.  Nowhere is this more prevalent than Nicaragua, where they are developing and supposedly building a new canal that will be bigger than the Panama Canal.  They have a real sweet heart deal with Daniel Ortega and the Nica government.

It was not that long ago that we had the Monroe doctrine that declared the America's off limit to the other world powers.  Frankly, our execution of this policy probably did more damage than good.  We invaded and occupied countries like Nicaragua, and meddled in governments throughout the region.  However, the intent is valid.  The US should strive to have strong realtions with all countries in the America’s, not as colonies but as economic partners.

I am surprised by how much the local populace is willing to let by gones be by gones.  They respect the US and identify with us as fellow Americans, as in the continent(s) of the Americas.  Our culture is everywhere.  Baseball is the number one sport; Americans are everywhere working on projects to help the people. Nica’s want to be part of an American community much more so than a Chinese/American community.

The tricky part is Daniel Ortega.  He became the face and the leader of the Sandinista's during the revolution.  He is a huge public figure.  At the time of the revolution he was a communist and a true revolutionary.  We probably drove him and definitely the people away from the US with the Contra's. It is hard to argue that the country did not need a change in government.  The Somoza family and government had become very corrupt.  They were not worth defending.  They truly had no legitimacy with the people and by most any American standard.

Here is a little history I had not paid attention too, post the civil war.  Ortega and the Sandinista’s  won in what the observers said were “free. Fair and hotly contested” elections.  After two terms Ortega said it was time for elections.  From what many tell me, they say he thought he would be easily elected again and was surprised when he lost and Nicaragua elected Violeta Chamorro as the president.  The real test came and he actually turned power over to the new government.  This happened two more times.  There were three non Sandinista presidents.  It sounds like most of them were not very effective.  Then in 2007 Ortega was elected again.  This time he pivoted to the center.  He denounced some of the rhetoric, embraced the church and loosened some of the business regulations.  He was changing from the firebrand communist to a socialist.  The realist says this is because now he was rich and had every economic reason to see Nicaragua grow.  Whatever the cause, there was a change.

Fast forward to today.  The government is still corrupt, but the lives of the poor are better.  There is a quasi-truce between capitalist and the government and the country is growing.  It is still poor but the improvements are noticeable.  What remains is Daniel, as they call him here.

He is rumored to be very sick.  His wife has an oversized role in the government.  Daniel still likes to antagonize the US with his "friends". He still cohorts with the worst of the worst, Chavez (when he was alive), the Castro's while they are clinging to life and even the Iranians and Putin.  

I speculate he does this to add to his revolutionary street cred.  However, to the person, the Nica's I have met see through this.  They say Nica has nothing to gain and nothing in common with these people.  They want better relations with their fellow Americans, the United States.

So back to my original premise.  While Obama dithers on foreign policy the Chinese are making great strides in Latin America.  Obama does not have the "credibility" to establish relations with Nica, a la Nixon.  So we need a strong Republican to step out from behind the rhetoric and reach out to Latin America.  We could slow the progress of the Chinese and strengthen the economies of the Latin countries.  This is the ultimate solution to the immigration problems we face in the first place.

So there is my political rant for the week. Ortega is no saint.  The government still has many issues.  However, Ortega is old and sick.  He has already rebranded himself once.  Why not one more time?  I am sure there are some holes in it, but I do believe we have neglected, or mismanaged or relations with our neighbors to the south.

Now is the time to correct it.