This volume of seven essays on the 1987 Nicaraguan constitution does not accept a priori the judgment that Latin American constitutions are as fragile as egg shells, easily broken and discarded if found to be inconvenient to the interests of the rulers. Rather, they are viewed as being central to understanding political life in contemporary Nicaragua.

The perspectives of the analysts and their conclusions are not consensual. They prohibit glib and facile general conclusions. Some find the constitution to be nothing more than a façade for arbitrary and capricious rule; others that the document reflects clear commitments to the democratic rule of law. Thus far the implementation of the constitution has resulted in the peaceful transition of power from the Sandinistas to the National Opposition Union.

Kenneth J. Mijeski is professor emeritus of political science at East Tennessee State University. He has coauthored essays in various journals, including the Latin American Research Review, The Latin Americanist, Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies, and Annals of the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies (SECOLAS).