ISN
Commentary by Sam Logan for ISN Security Watch (23/05/07)

Ortega knows Nicaragua is not a major geopolitical player in Latin America, so he is willing to risk Washington's ire in the face of what promises to be a boon of international support from a bevy of "non-aligned" international donors. Already, his feigned desires as a US supporter has earned him the title of a "political ->-bleeped-<-" inside Washington.

Ortega's run for greater recognition around the world has revealed a tendency to flip-flop between socialism and what his core supporters consider imperialism. It could work to undermine the very thing Nicaraguans expected from him when they put him back in power: to make Nicaragua a better place to live.