Showing great resiliency, Daniel Ortega is once again poised to emerge as a major player on the international political stage.

Ortega won Sunday's presidential election in Nicaragua, several points ahead of U.S.-backed candidate Eduardo Montealegre of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance.

As disconcerting as the news may be for the United States, it needs to respect the process in Nicaragua and follow a strategy established during recent elections in Latin America. That strategy has played to mixed results, with a favorable outcome in Mexico and a leftist candidate emerging as president in Bolivia.

Nevertheless, engagement is the answer, regardless of who is in power. Undue pressure from Washington could lead to greater alienation.

Ortega, a Sandinista who last held power 16 years ago and had lost three presidential elections since, ran on a platform of reconciliation and peace. Although his ideological shift merits skepticism, the U.S. should reach out and challenge him on his promises.

Both sides should proceed cautiously. Ortega would be foolish to alienate the United States, which could jeopardize the mutual economic benefits established under the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

The first tussle with Ortega proved embarrassing to the United States. The Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s followed the revolution in which Ortega's forces overthrew the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza.

This time around, the United States has a chance to get it right.