My Life in the Time of the Contras (review)

As Cameron states in the first sentence, this book is intended as a memoir whose aim is to provide insight into the turbulent period of the 1980s surrounding Sandinista Nicaragua and the policymaking process of U.S. financing of the anti-Sandinista contras. Cameron draws on his personal relationships and encounters with key political figures in the U.S. and Central America as well as his work as a lobbyist on humanitarian and foreign policy issues related to Central America political upheavals of the 1980s to minutely describe the machinery and actors that contributed to the ultimate shape of U.S. foreign policymaking at the time. Central to his narrative is an explanation of the modus operandi of the key players in what would become known as Iran-Contra Affair. Without a doubt, this is one of the book's strengths.

Cameron's impressive array of background information about these various actors brings to strong relief the strengths and weaknesses of each one's respective skill sets. For example, we learn that key Contra leader Adolfo Calero had previously been a successful Coca-Cola franchiser in Nicaragua but yet was not able to parlay his organizational skills into successful war organization. But among the most interesting and important players that Cameron encounters while lobbying was Major (later Lt. Colonel) Oliver North while the latter was on the National Security Council. Unbeknownst to many at the time, North was already a key facilitator of illegal weapon sales and developer of the covert network used to funnel funds to the Contras, and by virtue of Cameron's interests and profession, he often found himself in close proximity to North. Cameron paints in very human terms the latter's slow-motion spiral into the funding controversy.

Particularly interesting at this juncture is Cameron's day-by-day and play-by-play description of legislators' and lobbyists' strategizing and tactics in the ongoing battle for votes to approve funding for the Contras and the subsequent plan for a return to democracy in Nicaragua. Cameron provides an especially poignant portrayal of U.S. policymakers' displeasure at Costa Rican president Oscar Arias's peace proposal for Central America, which many U.S. official thought undercut U.S. hegemony and influence in the region. Through Cameron's work as an intermediary, we learn during the final third of the book of the growing disenchantment of Central American players with the ultimate political solution and, by extension, of Cameron's exasperation at trying to find a humane and just solution to the terror that was the 1980s in Central America.

Nonetheless, despite this book's merits as a personal vision of this crucial time period, it does possess some pitfalls and unusual moments that occasionally distract from its value. While chocked full of interesting details, the sheer quantity of information seems pedantic and at times approaches information-for-information's sake (e.g., how many copies of a memo he carried to what meeting). Equally distracting is that at times the narrative veers off into peculiar, if not downright odd, revelations that have nothing to do with politics or policymaking, such as the author's interjections of subtle moments of self-congratulation for his famous and infamous friends, or still more unusual digressions (via italicized reminisces) about his quest for a natural foods cure for diabetes, his overdrinking, or more than a dozen pages he dedicates to his sexual desires, conquests, and love affairs.

Despite these blemishes, overall, the book in toto will have some real value for historians of this disturbing period in Central America politics and U.S. policymaking, as it provides considerable insight into the motivations, psychology, and foibles of the involved parties. However, to find these valuable gems, readers are required to sift through a fair amount of disposable material, making the reading of this book a true labor of love.