In this second, revised and updated edition, Dr. Booth assesses the performance of the revolutionary government since 1979. The structure and operation of the regime is closely examined, as well as its policies and their implementation. The author details the difficulties the Sandinistas have encountered with the breakdown of their revolutionary coalition and the emergence of domestic and external opposition. He also discusses the difficulty of achieving economic recovery due to the effects of economic reorganization, private sector fears, and external economic sanctions. Finally, Dr. Booth focuses on the foreign policy of the Sandinistas, in particular their increasingly tense relationship with the United States.