Transitional Justice in Nicaragua 1990-2012 [electronic resource] : Drawing a Line Under the Past /
Bothmann, Astrid.author.
Astrid Bothmann examines historical, political and socioeconomic factors that explain the absence of transitional justice in Nicaragua from 1990 to 2012. The author provides the first systematic analysis of the reasons for the lack of transitional justice in Nicaragua after the end of the Sandinista regime and the civil war (1990). Contrary to other Latin American states of the third wave of democratization, which put the perpetrators of past crimes on trial, established truth commissions, purged political and military officials, and made reparations to the victims, Nicaragua's first post-war government opted for a policy of national reconciliation that was based on amnesty and oblivion. Subsequent governments followed this course so that the past has not been dealt with until today. Contents  The Sandinista era: Regime characteristics and human rights violations The Chamorro government: Elite interests and the balance of power The Alemán administration: The revival of caudillismo The Bolaños presidency: The attempted truth commission The Ortega II government: Recovering the revolution Target Groups Researchers and students of political science, sociology, law, history, and Latin American studies Politicians, human right activists, and NGO representatives  About the Author Dr. Astrid Bothmann is a political scientist currently working as project manager in the department "Politics and Society" at the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius in Hamburg.  .
Description based upon print version of record.
Acknowledgements; Contents; List of figures; List of tables; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. Key concept: Transitional justice; 2.1. Origins and historical developments; 2.2. Conceptual definition and instruments; 2.3. Transitional justice and collective memory; 3. State of the art; 3.1. Transitional justice as an academic field; 3.2. Enabling conditions for transitional justice; 3.3. The impact of transitional justice; 4. Nicaragua: Case selection and historical context; 4.1. Case selection; 4.2. Historical introduction: Nicaragua in the 17th to 20th century
4.3. The Somoza dictatorship (1936-1979)4.3.1. Regime characteristics; 4.3.2. The formation of the FSLN and the revolution of 1979; 4.4. The Sandinista era (1979-1990); 4.4.1. Revolutionary rule ; 4.4.2. Regime opposition and counterrevolution  ; 4.4.3. The civil war and the economic decline; 4.4.4. The peace process ; 4.5. Drawing a line under the past; 4.6. Transitional justice literature on Nicaragua; 5. Research design and methodology; 5.1. Case study method and hypotheses; 5.2. Process-tracing; 5.3. Qualitative interviews; 5.4. Qualitative content analysis
6. Historical reasons for the lack of transitional justice6.1. The mode of the regime transition and the Sandinistas' victor's justice ; 6.1.1. The dual regime transition; 6.1.2. Victor's justice under the Sandinistas; 6.1.3. Dealing with the Somoza era after 1990; 6.2. The nature of the Sandinista regime; 6.2.1. 1979-1983: The 'Sandinization' of Nicaragua ; 6.2.2. 1984-1990: Democratic reforms; 6.3. Human rights violations (1979-1990); 6.3.1. Legal foundations and the states of emergency; 6.3.2. Civil liberties; 6.3.3. Revolutionary justice
6.3.4. Freedom from arbitrary arrest, torture, and inhuman treatment6.3.5. The right to life; 6.3.6. Human rights violations at the Atlantic Coast; 6.3.7. Human rights abuses by the Contras and the USA; 6.3.8. The distribution of guilt; 6.3.9. Cases of comparison and conclusion; 7. Reasons for the lack of transitional justice 1990-1997 ; 7.1. Elite interests and the balance of power; 7.1.1. Interests of the Sandinistas and the Contras in Sapoá; 7.1.2. The first priority of the Chamorro government: A peaceful transition; 7.1.3. The balance of power; 7.1.4. The post-war crime wave
7.1.5. Chamorro's personal position on transitional justice 7.2. The desolate state of the national economy; 7.3. The lack of domestic demand for transitional justice; 7.3.1. The absence of a victims' movement ; 7.3.2. The 'Mothers of the Disappeared' ; 7.3.3. The position of the Catholic Church; 7.3.4. Human rights organizations and transitional justice; 7.4. The absence of international transitional justice advocacy; 7.4.1. The position of foreign states; 7.4.2. The United Nations; 7.4.3. The USA; 7.4.4. The Organization of American States; 7.4.5. International human rights organizations
8. Transitional justice and contested memories 1997-2012
Includes bibliographical references.
Astrid Bothmann examines historical, political and socioeconomic factors that explain the absence of transitional justice in Nicaragua from 1990 to 2012. The author provides the first systematic analysis of the reasons for the lack of transitional justice in Nicaragua after the end of the Sandinista regime and the civil war (1990). Contrary to other Latin American states of the third wave of democratization, which put the perpetrators of past crimes on trial, established truth commissions, purged political and military officials, and made reparations to the victims, Nicaragua's first post-war government opted for a policy of national reconciliation that was based on amnesty and oblivion. Subsequent governments followed this course so that the past has not been dealt with until today. Contents  The Sandinista era: Regime characteristics and human rights violations The Chamorro government: Elite interests and the balance of power The Alemán administration: The revival of caudillismo The Bolaños presidency: The attempted truth commission The Ortega II government: Recovering the revolution Target Groups Researchers and students of political science, sociology, law, history, and Latin American studies Politicians, human right activists, and NGO representatives  About the Author Dr. Astrid Bothmann is a political scientist currently working as project manager in the department "Politics and Society" at the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius in Hamburg.  .
Comparative politics.
Comparative Politics.