Nicaragua: Sandinistas, social transformation and the continuing search for a popular economic programme

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the articulation of ‘popular’ alternatives to the dominant Neoliberal ideological consensus which has established itself in Latin America over recent years. It focuses in particular upon the legacy of the Nicaraguan Revolution, situating the FSLN's (Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional) current attempts to articulate a coherent economic strategy for the 1996 electoral campaign within the context of their experiences in government during the 1980s. These issues are placed within the dual context of the global hegemony of Neoliberalism and the crisis facing Leftist alternatives; a crisis which has stemmed both from the lack of political space for the articulation of alternative economic policies and the failings of traditional socialist programmes and ideas. Specifically, the paper focuses upon the evolution of Sandinista economic policy during the 1980s highlighting the various contradictions that emerged. It then goes on to consider internal debates which have surfaced in the wake of the electoral defeat as the FSLN has sought to reassess its own identity and its relationships with the wider Nicaraguan popular movement.