The study of transnational solidarity movements is a relatively new field of historical inquiry. Roger Peace’s recent book is an important contribution to this endeavor. A Call to Conscience examines the US government’s secret war against Nicaragua and the debates within the United States over this policy. This is one of the few works that explores at length the opposition to the Contra War that developed within the United States and the effects that this movement had and did not have. (Disclaimer: I was an active participant in the anti – Contra War movement.)
Following the Vietnam War, there was little support within the American public for new US military interventions. When Ronald Reagan came into the presidency he saw the world through the lens of the Cold War. However, the so-called “Vietnam Syndrome” put a limitation on the possible use of overt military force. The answer to this problem...
