Contra In Iran

The Iran Contra affair is historically defined as the “Reagan administration scandal that involved the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for its efforts to secure the release of hostages in Lebanon and the redirection of the proceeds of those sales to the Nicaraguan Contras.” As the Nicaraguan counterrevolutionaries, known as the Contras, began their efforts to retaliate against the Socialist Sandinista Regime, American government forces stepped in to support the Contra cause in a hope to support the world-wide elimination of Communism. To understand the entire history of the scandal, many individuals, groups, policies, and deals must be researched and put together to tell the complete history of the Iran Contra affair.

Also, the growing presence of the Soviets and Cuba in Nicaragua escalated the cold war and in order to ‘draw the line” the Reagan administration “doubled economic aid for El Salvador to a hundred and forty four million dollars” (pg 40). According to Danner, “the priorities of American Policy in El Salvador had become unmistakable” (pg 41).Second, The American government was “opposed to dispatching American combat forces to Central America” (pg 22) and in order to prevent another Nicaragua, Congress agreed to “reform” the Salvadoran Army by financing, training and arming its troops to fight the FMLN. As Danner notes, “the Americans had stepped forward to fund the war, but were unwilling to fight it”. Third, the Monterrosa led Atlacatl led batallion through American funding descended in El Mozote with “the latest M-16’s, M-60 machines guns, 90 millimeter recoilless rifles, and 60- and 81 millimeter mortars”(pg 39) and with a list of names massacred an entire village because “communism was cancer”(pg 49). The U.S. government was clearly responsible for the Massacre at El Mozote because without the funding, supporting, and training of El Salvador troops the war would have been tilted in the guerillas favor as they had managed to hold the disorganized army in certain areas. In contrast to neighboring departments El Mozote and its inhabitants of born-again Christians did not fit in as guerilla sympathizers. In fact, the training at American hands

“25 years ago, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North did something really, really bad. He sold weapons to Iran in an effort to help fund rebels fighting Nicaragua’s Socialist government. It was a war that was already being funded by the small country’s cocaine trade, a fact that prompted Congress to halt the flow of money from the U.S. to Nicaragua.” (http://time.com/2954148/iran-contra/)

in 1985 that the U.S. might sell arms to Iran through Israel with the goal of releasing American hostages held in Lebanon by Iranian groups (“The Iran-Contra Report” Presidency.UCSB.edu). The arms would be used to aid Iran in their ongoing war against Iraq (“The Iran-Contra Report” Presidency.UCSB.edu). Robert McFarlane, a national security advisor who brought the suggestion to President Reagan, believed that the deal would improve U.S.-Iran relations, in addition to Lebanese relations, thus giving the U.S. needed influence in the Middle East (Wolf PBS.org). However, several advisors to Reagan questioned the legality of such an act, as both U.S. policy, prohibiting straight arms-for-hostage swaps, and the embargo on arms to Iran, the Arms Export Control Act, condemned that course of action. (“The Iran-Contra Report” Presidency.UCSB.edu). Though his advisors Caspar Weinberger (Secretary of Defense) and George Shultz (Secretary of State) opposed the sales, President Reagan listened to McFarlane (National Security Advisor) and William Casey (CIA director) and went through with the plan, but Reagan never actually signed the plan or reported it to Congress, as required by law (“The Iran-Contra Report” Presidency.UCSB.edu). Thus, Reagan could later claim that he had no knowledge of the arms sales, as it was never formalized. Control of this operation was given to the National Security Council, which was also conducting aid operations to the contras (“The Iran-Contra

After tensions with the Soviet Union group Reagan's inauguration became a symbol of a rightward shift in American politics due to the apprehension towards communism. Early in Reagans presidency, he openly endorsing right-wing Rebel groups in Nicaragua called Contras. The Contras would allow the U.S. Open Access to Nicaragua which will serve as a launching pad for the Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba. However due to a news articles on the U.S intervention in Nicaragua, representative Edward Boland decided to propose an amendment that restricted the money flow to Nicaragua. After several revisions of the amendment, money was completely cut off to the Nicaraguan Contras and it was made impossible for the U.S. to legally intervene. The Boland Amendment was one of many steps made to separate the United States from world affairs until trouble began in the Middle East during the Lebanese Civil War. After the kidnapping of 52 hostages the U.S.'s relationship with Iran was severely severed. Most of the kidnappings were by Hezbollah Terrorist who hope to gain political Leverage after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. These terrorists decided to strategically let go of several hostages they had in order to gain favor from Reagan. Unfortunately, Ronald Reagan refused to negotiate with them even after they offered up the American hostages they were holding. Ronald Reagan then launched Operation Staunch. This operation became an enforced arms embargo on Iran in 1983 that was encouraged worldwide. Reagan was hoping that this embargo would stop the conflict between Iraq and Iran and would also help decrease the amount of Hostage situations despite the numerous efforts to relieve countries from U.S.

In 1989 under the George H.W Bush administration the United States was involved in war with Panama. In December of that year, the United States Military invaded Panama to overthrow Manuel Noriega, the military dictator of the country. Manuel Noriega was accused of drug trafficking in the United States and also abolished democracy in Panama. He also harmed the stability of the United Nations. Before Noriega was accused of such actions, he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency in the attempt to assist the U.S in the plan to reduce communism in Central America. He worked for the United States and then removed from the CIA because of his affiliation with drug trafficking. Then he was brought back to the side of the United

During the time of the Cold War, many people lived in fear of communism and terrorism. In 1983, several Americans were taken hostage in Lebanon by a terrorist group. This terrorist group was loyal to Iran, so President Ronald Reagan stated he was against Iran. In addition, he told American allies not to sell weapons to Iran which would help them in their war with Iraq. Reagan proved to be against Iran, however, in 1986 President Reagan allowed the selling of weapons to Iran. By the selling of these arms, America would have the seven hostages in Lebanon returned. Then, members of President Reagan’s staff gave some of the money from these sales to Contras in Nicaragua. After several investigations, it was seen that there was a scandal

In 1981 the CIA trained and armed the counter revolutionaries, which was known as Contra’s to help Nicaragua fight against the communist regime being funded by the Soviets. When Congress failed to continue funding the program, the Reagan administration imposed an embargo against the country.

It was later found that the United States government had not received all of the money Iran had paid for the weapons which they had received (“The Iran-Contra Affair”). “While probing the question of the arms-for-hostages deal, Attorney General Edwin Meese discovered that only $12 million of the $30 million the Iranians reportedly paid had reached government coffers” (“The Iran-Contra Affair”). Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Laurence North of the United State’s National Security Council (NSC) had sent out a significantly large portion of the money from the Iranians to the Nicaraguan Contras, under the presumption that the President had approved of this act but without actually having received the direct approval of President Ronald Reagan (Fredriksen).

Iran Contra Scandal: also known as the Iran Contra Affair was a secret arrangement in the 1980’s to provide funds to the Nicaraguan Contra Rebels from profits gained by selling arms to Arran. It was also a product of two separate initiatives during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. So basically the senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran which was the subject of an Arms Embargo. Reagan and his administration had hoped by doing this that they would have secured the release of several U.S. Hostages and the fund the Contras in Nicaragua but the scandal was discovered and Oliver North took full

Now North had to find a way to both help the president fulfill his desire of getting Iran back on our side and helping the Anti-Communist regime down in south America. So North, along with other government officials, sold the 12.5 million dollars worth of weapons to Iran for 30 million. To avoid detection the 12.5 million was transferred into an American bank account while the remaining profit of 17.5 million was transfer to a Swiss bank account. From there the money was wired to the Contras and used in the war effort.

Central America's everlasting theme of violence, drugs and poverty influence the way many see as a culture of darkness and crime. The great leader of Panama, Manuel Antonio Noriega, was born in Panama City, Panama on February 11, 1934. Noriega’s early path seemed to be winding its way towards failure after being born into a very poor family and abandoned at the age of 5. These emotional and physical hardships could have determined the rest of his life, but Noriega did not allow these events to shape his future. Through hard work and sacrifice, he was awarded a scholarship to the Chorrillos Military School in Lima, Peru, one of the most renowned high schools in all of Central America.3 His major in education was military intelligence and counterintelligence.4

A solution to the Nicaraguan problem seemed more difficult to solve, Reagan wanted desperately to help the “contras” but was mandated by congress to stay out of the affair. His advisors secretly proposed a way to kill two birds with one stone, a decision that came to be referred to as Ronald Reagan’s black mark on his almost spotless record on foreign policy. The U.S would sale weapons to Iran in return for hostages taken by Muslim Jihadist in Lebanon, and with the money Iran paid those weapons with the U.S would direct that money to the contras fighting the Sandinistas. While the reasons for the trade were honorable and the president was following the American policy of communist containment at the time, it was still nonetheless illegal and badly battered Reagan’s reputation.

Escobar had contributed much to the history of Latin America even though most of his contributions were negative. The only thing that was more impressive that he went form literally nothing to being seventh richest man in the world at his prime was, his ability to portray himself as a “man of the people”. He spend millions of football clubs, schools, and hospitals. The people definitely made their appreciation known and would often aid Escobar against the government. Escobar would end up controlling 80 percent of the cocaine trade and bribing or intimidating police and government officials at every level of Columbia. Nobody past or present had a organization that had the power that Escobar’s did. It would take a combined effort of the military

He quoted Ortega as saying that Reagan was ‘worse than Hitler’. The economy of Nicaragua was hugely dependent on imports, and US influence was of enormous importance. However, relations between the two nations began to plummet as the Cold War heightened.