Book Launch: Nicaragua Must Survive by Dr Eline van Ommen

The book tells the story of the Sandinistas' innovative diplomatic campaign, which captured the imaginations of people globally and transformed Nicaraguan history at the tail end of the Cold War.

Join author Dr van Ommen in conversation with Dr Tanya Harmer (London School of Economics) and Dr Julie Gibbings (University of Edinburgh) in a discussion chaired by Dr Nir Arielli (University of Leeds).

Nicaragua Must Survive (University of California Press, 2023) shows that the Sandinistas' revolutionary diplomacy went far beyond elite politics, as it also involved thousands of musicians, politicians, teachers, activists, priests, feminists, and journalists. Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews, Dr van Ommen reveals the role that Western Europe played in Nicaragua's revolutionary diplomacy. Nicaragua Must Survive argues that this diplomacy was remarkably effective, propelling Nicaragua into the global limelight and allowing the revolutionaries to successfully challenge the United States' role in Central America.

Read an interview with Dr van Ommen about the book here.