cntra -
noun Sometimes written Contra (Politics) A member of any of the guerrilla forces which opposed the Sandinista government in Nicaragua between 1979 and 1990; often written in the plural contras, these forces considered collectively. Etymology:
An abbreviated form of the Spanish word contrarrevolucionario 'counter-revolutionary', probably influenced by Latin contra 'against'. History and Usage: The word appeared on the US political scene at the
very beginning of the eighties and became an increasingly hot issue in view of the US presidential administration's desire to aid the overthrow of the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. This reached its peak in the Iran-contra affair of 1986, when
it was alleged that profits from US arms sales to Iran had been diverted to aid the contras, even though legislation had by
then been passed to prevent any material aid from being sent; the ensuing Congressional hearings made the
word contra known
throughout the English-speaking
world even if reporting of the long civil war in Nicaragua
itself had not. Despite a plan agreed by Central American leaders in August 1989 to 'disband' the rebels, even the end of the Sandinista government after the elections in 1990 did not immediately bring
an end to guerrilla activity from the contras. Oliver North, the ex-Marine colonel at the heart of the Iran-contra affair,
whom Ronald Reagan dubbed 'a true American hero', was yesterday spared a prison term. Guardian 6 July 1989, p.
20 The
scenario clearly involved some kind of trade-off of contra aid and drugs and
money . Interview Mar. 1990, p. 42
