Maroon

              The MAROON Vol. 65, No. 18 Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 February 20,1987 MORE THAN A TUG OF WAR Poverty, political strife rip region  By Katie Duffy News Editor Editors note: The students interviewed for this story did not want their names used because of the sensitive issues involved.To some, it is a simple struggle of Us vs. Them, a U.S.-Soviet conflict that prompts images of Vietnam and phrases like, "Better Dead Than Red." To others, it is a struggle of people — an increasing population drenched in poverty and illiteracy. This is Central America. It is a mistake to view the region's problems as an ideological conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States, said Dr. Maurice Brungardt, associate professor of history. It seems everyone interested in Central America has his own interpretation of the region's history, its present problems, and solutions for peace. Brungardt, who teaches classes in Latin American history, emphasized that Central American countries like Nicaragua and El Salvador have many internal social problems that are frequently the root cause of unrest. The real problem is poverty, according to Joseph, a communications student from El Salvador. "The social structure works to benefit only a very few," he said. Beto, a business major from El Salvador, said the poverty crisis has existed always, but in the late '70s the communists took advantage of the situation to promote social unrest. Brungardt said the problems of each country are different, yet the countries influence each other because of their proximity."Nowhere in the world are the stakes higher that they are in our hemisphere — in Central America," said U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, who was in New Orleans last week speaking to the American Bar Association. The eye of the storm Nicaragua is the hot bed of Central America. It is riddled with political strife: counter-revolutionary forces, or contras, are attempting to overthrow the Sandinista government. Some people believe the Sandinistas function only as Soviet puppets and, consequently, pose a serious threat to the region. The contras have received significant support from the United States, in the form of millions of dollars in military aid. Others claim that the Sandinista government is what the Nicaraguan people want. While the Sandinistas admit they have relations with the Soviet Union and receive military aid from that country, they maintain the relations are "of mutual respect and independence," and that Nicaragua will not become another Cuba. Brungardt pointed out that many countries receive aid from both the Soviet Union and the United States. Even the United States deals with the Soviet Union, he said. "Just because you trade with the Soviet Union doesn't necessarily discredit you." According to Brungardt, President Reagan wants to see the Sandinista government in Nicaragua overthrown. Shultz said: "We must help those willing to fight for their freedom against tyranny. It would be immoral to abandon them. From July 1979 to the end of 1981, there were no civil wars in Nicaragua. Before the rise of the contras, the United States supplied $118 million in assistance to the Sandinistas, Shultz said. Last year Congress appropriated $100 million for the contras. And this year, Reagan is planning to ask Congress for $105 million. But he will probably wait until September to make the request because of the recent scandal over the sale of arms to Iran and the diversion of profits from the sales to the contras. Arming Central American countries like Nicaragua is a dual standard, Joseph said. "The country is small and poor yet they are spending over half their budget on arms," he said. "This is inconceivable to me. "The means of production is being destroyed.Photo by Mary Rees Cuomo: Raise reserves, set fee to aid oil states By Chuck Lee Assistant News Editor The federal government needs to increase the limits of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and should pass an import fee on foreign oil, New York Governor Mario Cuomo said Monday at Tulane University. Cuomo spoke to about 1,900 people in McAlister Hall as part of Tulane's Direction '87 series. An import fee would be inflationary, Cuomo said, but he added that, "It would be wrong for New York, which is doing relatively well today, to be unwilling to help states like Louisiana and Texas that have been damaged by falling oil prices. "The problems in Louisiana are not permanent," he said. "They are cyclical with the oil pattern." Cuomo said he is still uncertain if he will run for president in 1988. "Until the end of February, please believe me, I am not a presidential candidate," he said. But Cuomo speculated that if he did 'run for president, he would receive strong support from the South because it is "smart and fair politically." Concerning defense, Cuomo said the United States should shift money spent on weapons and allocate it to educational research and social programs. "How sickeningly absurd that we are required to devote our best scientific minds to the development of exotic instruments of destruction rather than to protecting and replenishing our global economy and natural resources," Cuomo said. In reference to nuclear arms, he said the United Staes needs to eliminate "the awesome threat of extinction hanging above us, swinging back and forth." The Strategic Defense Initiative, or "Star Wars" program, needs to be used only as a negotiating tool, he said. "There is no question of its power as a bargaining chip," he said. But, he added that the program needs more research to prove its effectiveness before deployment."The way out is to mutually find a way to reduce the amount of money spent on arms," he said. The Soviets, however, "have a different political motivation than the United States. It's a mistake to think they're just like you. Their purpose threatens your existence," Cuomo said. The United States should not be coerced by terrorists, Cuomo said. "You get mad at other countries and say, 'You gave in to the terrorists,' then you !u k up and we've made a deal with the Iranians. The United States also needs to define a standard position on foreign poi.v „• for all nations, he said. Cuomo said he supported the U.S. bombing of Libya last April, but said the United States needed subsequent follow-up. "We made the mistake of playing one-move chess when we should have been playing eight, nine or 10-move chess." Cuomo said The United States needs to revitalize its education system, partly with significant amounts of federal dollars. "College education now is what elementary education used to be. It's absolutely essential." The federal government appears to be using paperwork to scare students away from applying for financial aid, Cuomo said. "In addition to money, bureaucratic mess is working against students," he «aid. See Central America/ page 5