ABSTRACT
Ronald Reagan offered a vision of the world that was uncluttered with the complexities that had distracted previous Presidents. To him, the problem was Soviet expansion and the solution was American power. Reagan carried the perspective into the White House in January 1981. The lesson he learned from Cuba was different from that learned by Jimmy Carter. The Reagan Administration's proclivity for unilateralism did not mean that it could pursue its objectives without restraint. Actually, the Administration had more difficulty obtaining Congressional and public support for the contra program than the Carter Administration had obtaining aid for the Nicaraguan government in 1980. The Administration, therefore, had to cope with two sets of constraints—internal and international—simultaneously. While Nicaragua's neighbors were still trying to manage their suspicions of the Sandinistas, the Reagan Administration entered office wearing its distrust on its sleeve. Like its predecessor, the Reagan Administration had a global agenda that had important implications for Nicaragua.
