Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Netherlands
Al Jazeera
The Facts
The EU on Monday declared the head of the Nicaraguan mission to the European Union, Zoila Yanira Müller Goff, "persona non grata" amid deteriorating political relations between Managua and Brussels.
According to the EU, the decision was a "reciprocal response" after Managua declared the EU ambassador to Nicaragua, Bettina Muscheidt, "persona non grata" on Sept. 28. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned what he considered a "hostile and unjustified" decision.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The sanctions and political pressure from the West are justified, as the Ortega-Murillo regime has long made Nicaragua one of the most corrupt and poorest countries in the Western hemisphere. Moreover, the dictatorship has betrayed the ideals of the Sandinista Revolution, with human rights and democratic principles trampled on daily.
Establishment-critical narrative
The West is only interested in human rights in Global South countries that don't bend to its will. To this day, Washington hasn't forgiven Nicaragua for being the first Latin American country to free itself from US hegemony through the Sandinista Revolution. It's purely geostrategic interests that prompt Washington and the EU to demand so-called "democracy" for Nicaragua.