The Sandinista Contras conflict was a proxy war between the Soviet-backed Sandinista government of Nicaragua and the US-backed Contras, who were attempting to overthrow the government. The conflict was used as a tool by both the US and the USSR to further their political ideologies during the Cold War.
The US supported the Contras as part of their policy of containment, which aimed to prevent the spread of communism throughout the world. The Reagan administration saw the Sandinistas as a communist threat to democracy in the region, and provided the Contras with financial and military support to overthrow the government.
On the other hand, the USSR supported the Sandinistas, seeing them as a way to spread communism in Central America. The USSR provided military aid to the Sandinistas to help them resist the Contra attacks and to maintain their socialist government.
Both superpowers used the conflict as a way to promote their political ideologies and to gain influence in the region. The conflict was a key example of how the US and the USSR used proxy wars to further their interests during the Cold War.