ABSTRACT
The government in Nicaragua traditionally viewed the opposition as fragmented and ineffectual and did everything possible to keep it that way. Costa Rican President Oscar Arias offered Nicaraguans an exit, and to his credit, Daniel Ortega accepted. The subject of William Robinson's book is not the 1990 Nicaraguan elections, but US intervention in the elections. The United States wanted to avoid in Nicaragua the mutual hostility that had characterized early US-Cuban relations and had led to a break in the relationship. The war and the economic embargo had a devastating impact on Nicaragua's society and economy and also led the government to deepen its dependence on the Soviet Union and Cuba, militarize the revolution, and reduce political space. The development that really offered hope for Nicaragua occurred after the elections: President Chamorro and the Sandinistas demonstrated an interest in embarking on a new path of national reconciliation.
