ABSTRACT
The transformation of the armed forces in Nicaragua is perhaps the most profound in Central America. Nicaragua's military went from being the vanguard of a revolutionary movement that swept aside a 40-year family dynasty to a respected and subordinate institution at the service of the nation. What was widely perceived as a partisan political instrument, posing a threat to constitutional order and liberty, has been transformed into a national military establishment without allegiance to any political faction. Previously denounced by right-wing politicians in the United States as a supporter of regional insurgencies and banned from receiving military assistance, the Nicaraguan military dispatched a small unit to Iraq and now has students in U.S. military schools. Yet the transition is far from complete. Civilian control remains weak, the potential for clashes with neighbors over disputed maritime borders still exists, and mutual suspicions between military and civilian leaders persist. The return to power of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) in 2006 and the subsequent consolidation of power in the hands of President Daniel Ortega has undermined earlier progress and placed civil–military relations on a perilous road.
