US involvement and intervention in Nicaragua is very well-documented and has a long and inglorious history that continues today.

Its interest in the area was awakened by the abundance of natural resources and its desire to build a canal through either Nicaragua or Panama — perhaps both — in order to secure regional dominance and shorten the distance between New York and San Francisco.

It eventually opted for Panama as the site for its canal — however Nicaragua remained very much on the US radar.

More than a quarter of a century of US military intervention was brought to a halt during Latin America’s first major guerilla war, led by Nicaraguan hero Augusto Cesar Sandino — from whom the FSLN takes it name.

US strategy changed and after complicity in the murder of Sandino in 1934 it gave its backing to the Somoza family, whose bloody dictatorship lasted until it was overthrown by the 1979 Sandinista Revolution.

The US consistently tried to undermine the revolutionary Sandinista government, most infamously through its arming of the Contras — armed right-wing death squads that terrorised the country during the 1980s.

Despite being found guilty by the International Court of Justice in 1984 of breaching international law, the US ignored the ruling and blocked its enforcement by the UN security council, thus depriving impoverished Nicaragua of $17 billion in reparations.

Less well known is the role of Britain, particularly following the victory of the Sandinista Revolution in 1979.

Research shows that a shady company with close links to then British PM Margaret Thatcher, known as KMS, appeared on a list compiled by Lt Col Oliver North, implicating it in the Iran-Contra scandal.

KMS was founded in 1974 by former SAS man David Walker and was accused of sabotage operations in Nicaragua, including the mining of the harbour and bombing operations.

In one notorious incident in March 1985, KMS is believed to have been involved in the bombing of the Alejandro Davila Bolanas hospital in Managua, thought to be a show of strength by the Contras ahead of a decision by the US Congress on whether to grant $14 million to their cause.

I asked Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega if he recalled the incident and how he felt about British mercenary intervention.

“You are helping me to refresh my memory,” he said reminiscing.

Ortega appeared sharp and began a detailed explanation of British intervention in the country.

“The first dispute that happened in Nicaragua was between Spain and England, what were they disputing? Nicaragua had massive natural resources. We were one of the countries that had more gold, which is what they were looking for in that period,” he said reaching for a map which he opened and held to the abundance of TV cameras recording our interview.

The Spanish and British colonisers clashed and were in “constant military confrontations,” he explained.

“The British went up the river to try and dominate the Pacific and the Spanish the Carribean coast,” Ortega continued, but said the Spanish forces “did not pass” as they met resistance from the indigenous population.

Switching his focus from the historical battles to the present he had a warning for US imperialism and attempts to destabilise Nicaragua which John Bolton included in his so-called “troika of tyranny” along with Venezuela and Cuba.

“Eternal empires do not exist. It is more than demonstrated. The most powerful empires throughout history have become extinct. They try and dominate so much, they try and control so much area but in the end they just dissolve.”

Ortega insisted the current behaviour of the global bully showed that it has “already begun its terminal phase.”

“These last shots that they are firing, these brutal attacks, aggressive attacks across the globe, are just elements that are delivering the final blow to the US credibility throughout the world,” he said.

The Sandinista leader saw hope in this. He said the current situation is also creating an opportunity for the US to finally assume its role in a multipolar world.

This “multipolar world” is a necessity, Ortega insisted, in the struggle for the environment which if “all of us don’t defend,” will make the whole world sink and fall.

We spoke about the future, with Bernie Sanders vying for election to the White House in the US and Jeremy Corbyn’s potential election as British Prime Minister.

Both are friends of Nicaragua and on foreign policy — at least from Corbyn — we would see a major shift in international relations away from war and imperialist intervention to one of peace and co-operation.

Ortega described attempts to smear both candidates through their association with Nicaragua and other Latin American countries as part of a “dirty war.”

But their messages “just as the messages of other women candidates” in the US elections were “messages of courage,” offering hope for a different world.

This he said was essential and created the conditions for the US to become a beacon of development and co-operation.

Ortega was equally optimistic about the possibility of a Corbyn-led Labour government, insisting it was imperative to steer an independent foreign policy instead of tailing US imperialism.

“They [Britain] must help to create a multipolar world, for peace and to save the planet.”

He was keen to stress the importance of young people in building what he described as the “second phase of the revolution.”

Ortega sees the revolution as a process which began in 1979 when the Sandinistas came to power and continued in the so-called governing from below period when they spent 16 years out of office.

Many of those involved in building Nicaragua today were not even born in the period that the Sandinistas were first in government, but most experienced the poverty and dire conditions as liberal, US-backed governments inflicted “neoliberal, revenge policies” on the country.

This saw the ending and reversal of the many social programmes implemented by the Sandinista government which had dragged millions out of poverty and brought healthcare and education to the masses.

“The youth are immersed in the entire [Sandinista] project,” Ortega explained.

“It is the youth working side by side with the poor building homes and taking part in all the fundamental actions that improve the wellbeing of the people of Nicaragua. Young people are reforesting,” he explained, “multiplying the work of the institutions.”

Ortega said this was possible by opening up the education sector and creating the “knowledge and consciousness” of the struggle among young people, encouraging their participation.

The achievements of the Sandinista government are impressive, despite attempts to derail it by armed right-wing terror gangs that paralysed the country last April.

Poverty has reduced in Nicaragua which showed the highest economic growth rates in the region, despite the imposition of US sanctions and a violent “coup attempt” designed to strangle the economy.

Armed protesters laid siege to the country for nearly three months, setting up roadblocks known as “tranques” and attacking Sandinista supporters and police, who eventually withdrew to their headquarters on Ortega’s orders in a bid to restore calm.

Buildings were torched and Sandinistas were killed as the bloody opposition sought to overthrow Ortega.

“On one occasion after the celebration of July 19 [the Sandinista Revolution], the caravan making its way back from the Plaza was ambushed with AK47s.

“There they killed [pro-Sandinista] women, children and men. Where was the UN, where was the Organisation of American States, the human rights organisations then? Nothing.”

Government forces eventually prevailed and the Sandinista government has embarked on a National Dialogue in an attempt to bring “Truth and Reconciliation” with thousands of commissions established across the country.

An amnesty has been granted to hundreds jailed for their part in the coup attempt, despite their involvement in criminal activities.

Recent reports from Masaya suggest that opposition forces are once again detonating bombs to terrorise the local population.

They are no doubt emboldened by the US-backed fascistic coup that has taken place in Bolivia which has seen the massacre of indigenous people and the ousting of the leftist President Evo Morales.

Opposition forces in Nicaragua have embraced the coup calling it a “great achievement,” hailing the Bolivian oligarchy, which described the indigenous people as satanic, as “our brothers.”

Ortega was clear that “we face a powerful enemy that continuously pushes and injects resources to create chaos, to create terror.

“An enemy working tirelessly to destroy the revolutionary process. An enemy that’s trying tirelessly to recruit young people to work towards violence, to work towards terror.

“And all these groups are being sponsored by former counterrevolutionary forces and families of the National Guard.”

This he said had been the case since the Sandinistas returned to government in 2007 with military weapons given to “criminal gangs” across Nicaragua.

“From then the conspiracy began and they murdered hundreds of campesinos…all of this coming from Florida,” Ortega proclaimed.

“We are working to promote reconciliation and peace and they are working to create hatred,” he said.

For now Nicaragua has been brought back to relative stability, but as the recent events in Masaya show the situation remains volatile with US imperialism intent on removing progressive governments from power.

They have failed so far in Nicaragua, which has been the arena of many defeats for imperialist forces. But Ortega is aware they will return.

The strength of the Sandinista government lies in its huge support from the people who feel part of a movement and are prepared to defend the gains from the clutches of the US and neoliberalism.

It is imperative that progressives, trade unionists and the left stand united and in full solidarity with the people of Nicaragua against US intervention.