The Contras War

Written by Luis Moreno (known as "Mike Lima" during this decade long conflict) the author examines in his book Principio Y Fin de la Guerra de los Contras (The Contras War: From Beginning to End) the armed struggle and the strategy that may have cost the lives of more than 6,000 Contra fighters and a total of some 15,000 anti-Sandinista supporters and family members in and out of Nicaragua. The armed conflict took place between the Nicaraguan Resistance (the Contras) and the Sandinista security forces (over 100,000) who helped govern Nicaragua in the 1980's. Moreno provides an inside perspective of the manner in which the Contras developed as a small force of less than 1000 in the early 1980's to over 20,000 that would demobilize after the Violeta Chamorro election of early 1990. A significant study by Moreno that should be read along with those books by Stephen Kinzer--Blood of Brothers, Christopher Dickey--With the Contras, Glenn Garvin--Everybody Had His Gringo, Sam Dillion--Commandos, Timothy Brown--The Real Contra War, and other publications that seek to explain the Nicaraguan Resistance and the extent it was seen as a failure or a success in the politics of the Nicaraguan nation and United States foreign policy. What makes this study important and distinct is that Moreno provides a detailed insight into the creation of the Resistance by folding together two major forces: the Milpas (anti-Sandinista farmers and peasants), former Sandinista insurgents and remnants of Somoza's army and EBBI--survivors of the 1979 fight against the Sandinista insurgents. As both a field commander inside Nicaragua and a member of the Strategic Command after tragically losing part of his right hand and arm in a training accident Moreno is able to talk about Resistance personalities, thinking within the Resistance, and the decisions that the Resistance faced. In addition, Moreno, the Resistance "Operations Director" in the Strategic Command discusses the strategy, plans, and institutional relations of the Resistance--especially with the Hondurans and the Americans. Why read this book? The detailed picture of the Nicaraguan rural areas of conflict; how an insurgent movement is organized; the importance of the rural population support to the Resistance. Caesar D. Sereseres Profesor de Ciencia Pol tica y Estudios Internacionales Facultad de Ciencias Sociales Universidad de California, Irvine