Date of Award
6-2019
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts - History
Department
History
First Advisor
Dr. Aaron Moulton
Second Advisor
Dr. Scott Sosebee
Third Advisor
Dr. Philip Catton
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Kenneth Collier
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the support of Congressman Charles Wilson, D-TX, for the Nicaraguan government of Anastasio Somoza Debayle from March 1977 to July 1979. A narrative of Wilson's actions and motivations it relies heavily on his congressional papers for primary sources. This work argues that Wilson was motivated by his personal anti-Communist beliefs to challenge the perceived biased application of the Carter Administration's human rights policy against the Somoza regime. He saw the administration's abandonment of Nicaragua, a traditional Cold War ally after four decades of loyal support, as directly contributing to the rise of a Communist regime following Somoza’s fall. It also explores the role of Congress in influencing American foreign policy. Furthermore, it proves that Wilson was a committed anti-Communist with an interest in foreign policy before his adventures in the mountains of Afghanistan during the 1980s for which he has become famous
Repository Citation
Sadler, Sherman J., "Charlie Wilson's First War: Challenging Carter's Human Rights Policy through his Support for Anastasio Somoza Debayle, 1977-79." (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 248.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/248
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Diplomatic History Commons, Latin American History Commons, Political History Commons, United States History Commons
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