Washington's War on Nicaragua

Among recent books on U.S. policy in Nicaragua, this one stands out for its combination of fact, historical analysis and open disgust over American arrogance. Sklar ( Trilateralism ) maintains that fear of ``another Cuba'' is an illusion fostered by the Reagan administration's propaganda-lobbying effort and argues that ``another Vietnam'' is a more likely parallel. She warns that a Central American invasion will remain a prospect even after Reagan leaves office. Both liberals and conservatives claim the unilateral, self-ordained right of the United States to define Latin American destiny by interference, the author contends, finding this attitude nowhere more blatant than in U.S. policy toward Nicaragua. Sklar advocates ending all efforts to manipulate, destabilize or overthrow the Sandinistas, and the payment of reparations, the signing of a nonaggression pact between Washington and Managua, and cancelation of all U.S. military maneuvers in the region. (Nov.)