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A North American gated-community builder, frustrated with the business, or ″biznes″ environment in Nicaragua, once remarked that there was nothing distinct about the Nicaraguan national character. I asked him to explain. He said the Germans have their work ethic, Japanese their discipline, Americans their rugged ingenuity, that sort. What do Nicaraguans have? I thought about it briefly before replying that Nicaraguans could count on something that no country has ever had--peace and reconciliation in the immediate wake of a civil war. I added that if there were anything remotely civilized about war, Nicaragua would be a front runner, and that its combatant reintegration, national dialogue, and quick eradication of what would have been otherwise post-war ambushes and dangerously unsettled accounts was unique, and probably pointed to a national characteristic, perhaps not yet quite defined. He chewed the straw in his Flor de Caña glass, and said ″Maybe.″

Another, a frustrated coordinator of donated medical supplies and exchanges, said ″Nicaragua should just close.″  ″What,′ I half-giggled, ′like a shop, out of business?″ A matter-of-fact ″Yes″ was his one-word, humorless response.

Often we choose not to talk about cultural observations for fear of misinterpretation or allegations of chauvinism. My ruminations on Nicaraguan character traits that affect the business environment may be more a response to the times rather than analysis of, or apology for, such generally observed traits; and in this conspiring of events lies the risk of ″getting it wrong,″ say, for posterity. I can only report that I took a risk in establishing a socially responsible business in Nicaragua and though I have not been idle since my suspension of it due to what I will call ″technical difficulties,″ I may have found some time to reflect on the theme. Perhaps my experience will assist others as they consider risk assessment while investing in Nicaragua, and help Nicaraguans to identify what scares investors off. I welcome the feedback that may help to poke holes in the arguments, and assist in somehow arriving at a greater cross-cultural understanding so as to determine how one might come to do business or donate projects successfully in Nicaragua by understanding its people, their virtues and their quirks. So I trust that it will be understandable if my analysis draws on some historical antecedents, and has some normative tones.

There is a lot of curiosity, stereotyping, joking and Hollywood-fed speculating among Nicaraguans as to the Gringo character, but nearly all perceptions seem to be accompanied by a degree of genuine affection. Except for the occasional agitated youth or politico looking for an outlet for expression, in Nicaragua there is an enduring sense of warmth between the two cultures. Many Nicaraguans have seen the tired but enthused medic, the earnest preacher, the gritty backpacker, the big chele urbanizer, the khakied journalist, the college dude on spring break, the lone wanderer, the water engineer, the development tech and the Peace Corps volunteer. So it is clear that there is a tendency among Nicaraguans to search for stereotypes, so the Nicaraguan will forgive me if I take some liberties as I pepper my reflections with operative Nicaraguan character observations.

Essential for anyone looking to invest in say, a community-benefiting and economically sustainable project, is a little expectation management. The affection that Nicas have for Gringos becomes a bit tenuous, one might observe, when it comes to investments. Nicaragua is not a place that has seen a lot of autochthonous investment, nor one that rewards a good work ethic; and one can only wonder how developed the info side of a business culture is when it relies on virtually systemized commissions for el conecte. Results, as anywhere, can be gained from hand-walking paperwork through channels, but in Nicaragua officials and managers are often selected for their political loyalty rather than their credentials or competence, and ″process-streamlining″ is not easily translated and so in effect, not applicable; so patience, a clear idea of the task to be undertaken and occasionally a willingness to but tactfully challenge to some degree the random application of procedure may help to avoid costly delays. Informing officials of your perceptions of the process is as real a need as having someone dog the people you set out to dog the process. Otherwise you may find yourself saying, ad nauseam, ″I just came from there. I was told to see you first.″ Rarely is a man′s word as good as a contract, so even minor transactions require an explicit document and signatures. If you think creativity and capital are instructive and folks will catch on, useful is the knowledge that a Nicaraguan is often afraid to be the first to do anything, but wants to be considered the one that made it happen, if at all. Nicaraguans are exposed minimally to trickle down economics and models are rare wherein collective, holistic methods reveal an interconnectedness that serves the greater community. So the tendency, I would say, is to sacrifice long-term vision for short-term gain. Not surprising when you take into consideration more than two centuries of state theft on a grand scale, punctuated by not one but a series of civil wars. One really doesn′t know what tomorrow may bring, can you blame him? Well yes, you can, if he is tasked with some degree of leadership or management; but do it quietly, you econo-revolutionaries don′t really know if you′re out of the woods yet.

In the legal zone and in the PR department of the social, economic and political realms, we citizens, residents and visitors are subject to often audacious, burlesque-like re-tooling of the facts, as long as there exists a chance for personal gain. But if the farce is off, it is acceptable for the exposed poser to walk off with whatever booty is available; and somehow not lose complete credibility, because despite a relatively responsible press, libel does not seem make a big ripple and its witnesses scarce, legalities are loose and law randomly applied, information is filtered, and historically revisionist propaganda is frequently swallowed wholesale. This information is then embellished or accommodated to one's circumstances because in Nicaragua, icon attachment is great--paradoxically, because those who do in fact take the first step are often sabotaged. Some call it envy, others jealousy, egotism or selfishness. Foreigners interpret it as a rejection of development and investment, the latter of which the foreign element, it is generally believed in the economic disciplines, should make up some 30% of the total amount invested; that is, investments which result in infrastructural improvements and the generation of employment and extension services. This figure fluctuates of course with the degree to which such inputs are needed, or desired if say, there is a consistent socio-economic set of objectives--a national plan as it were.

As for matters of comfort and safety, Nicas generally appear to be inured to the death of animals probably due in part to their acceptable maltreatment, and have few qualms about dumping garbage into a pristine natural environment; but, Gracias a Dios, are still horrified at even a single human act of human violence, which may be one of the reasons that more gentle-minded and altruistic foreigners visit with frequency and occasionally stay on. Despite seemingly high levels of acceptable infidelity in marriage, family and community are tremendously important in Nicaragua. Many gringos perceive a degree of innocence or simplicity that stirs some vague nostalgia, reminiscent maybe, of a less complicated time. It may be that foreigners subconsciously do their good works in prevention of what an unruly society can become. Many are medical personnel with a desire to deliver medicines to people in need under a medical system in some disarray. First Do No Harm, goes the Hippocratic Oath. Then, Prevent Repetition of Bad Practices, as may go the Catastrophic Oath. The gringos don't want to change the concept--socialized medicine is onto something, at least insofar as in the avoidance of catastrophic insurance maladies. Good health should not be associated with wealth. But the foundations of Socialism, of which Nicaraguan socio-political organization is ostensibly a manifestation, suggest a social contract wherein the wealth is shared some. It doesn't appear that much of the liderazgo has even bothered to read Marx, but it is worth remembering the tenet ″from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.″ Does it matter much if some pointed needs are supplied from abroad? These cheles are real nice people with some extra to share. The engines that guide the inputs need to be agile, informed and responsible facilitators, or the enthu$iasm will dry up.

The international donor tendency is no longer a bottomless pit. No one willing is that rich anymore, wealth and responsibility are poorly distributed, philanthropy tends to stay home, and there are global food, health and fuel crises to add yet more unpredictability to the mix. Too many projects have been launched and then abandoned for lack of even minimal maintenance by the element served. In Nicaragua this may be related to poor training, or follow-up; or the apathy that results from a poverty or postwar mindset wherein nothing ever seems to change, so creativity, resourcefulness and the spirit of entrepreneurship are effectively quashed--and not the more popularly believed quasi-communist conditioning for hand-outs. Nine years of counter-intuitive policies and state-induced shortages does not the communist make, nor is a chronic beggar hatched of a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime visit by cherubic foreigners with stethoscopes and chocolate bars. Yet oddly, while successive governments frustrate the good intentions of donors and investors, foreign investment appears to be increasing because donations have to be made sustainable (these things take time and can't always count on or reject political shifts outright), and it should be clear that I am not talking about personal investments in real estate and luxury seaside resorts, although they have some degree of benefit when not in active destruction of local economies.

So the physicians, engineers, carpenters, firemen, religious crusaders, and project- and product-oriented investors in loose solidarity with Nicaragua may be perceived as your new era brigadistas, not wholly different than the Benjamin Linders of the 1980s. Those of short duration, perhaps are the humani-tourists. These would be quite the antithesis of what the well-organized fringe element largely responsible for the results of the last election--heard to be called Sandichispas, for their reactionary spark--would like to frame as conspiracy-minded spies and Nouveau Imperialists. Instead of chaotic scrambling for whatever treasures fall off the container ship, officially sanctioning bribes, inventing delays and fees, and then authorizing disgraceful fines for the interim storage space, a socially conscious government would responsibly and intellectually institute donor and investor accommodation convenient to a national vision, if it had one. Then if we don't speak Spanish well and don't get the nuance that comes from chatting it up with folks, at least we'd have an idea of whether the Welcome mat is out, while we do what we can and learn.

The Revolution, it was thought, was intended to blur class lines and create an equitable society with opportunity for the pursuit of industry, with planned initiatives in health, education, rule of law, organic farming and alternative energy. An estimated 90% of the Nicaraguan public was in favor of Somozas' overthrow. Yet the dominant elements of the ensuing Junta now frame more the cause and less the effect of the 1979 Revolution as U.S. interventionism and imperialism. And so the pueblo remains suspicious.

The lack of a national character trait in Nicaragua may well be linked to the lack of a national vision, the kind that suffered attrition after 1979's unity, and seemed to have disappeared as the oppressed became the oppressor, but then made a brief comeback with the National Reconciliation Initiative in the early 1990s.

It would be a shame if these two great and defining elements of unique national Nicaraguanismo represented by energetic consensus-making--not once but twice and in a place that no one seems to agree on anything--were to lose out to perceptions of pillaging pirates and well, politics as usual. They sure aren't good for business.

-Suzanne Wopperer