RSSOn July 1st, Costa Rica’s legislature voted 31-8 to expand its bilateral cooperation agreement on security matters with the United States in order to intensify anti-narcotic efforts within the region. This agreement will allow 46 U.S. naval vessels carrying 7,000 Marines to visit Costa Rican water[...]
Archive for the Category: "Costa Rica"
August 4th, 2010 - 8:58 am § in Costa Rica, Front Page
Costa Rica’s Fateful Move: San José Expands its Role in U.S.- led Counter-Narcotics Efforts
Costa Rica as a Peaceful State: One Costa Rican Lawyer’s Odyssey v. His Nation’s Establishment
In its most positive light, Costa Rica has had a long and impressive history as a pacifist state. This history finds its roots in the colonial period, starting with Columbus’ fourth and final voyage in 1502. The Spaniards called the present-day area the “Rich Coast,” but Costa Rica possessed l[...]
March 5th, 2010 - 3:39 pm § in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Front Page, Guatemala, Honduras, OAS
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Does Latin America
• Argentina squeezed in at the last minute • Why Guatemala? • Brazil phase is rough • Secretary of State Clinton and her Assistant Secretary, on this try, do not seem to perceive that it is a changed world in terms of inter-American relations and that traditional concepts of pan-Americanism [...]
Polling gets Narrower as Sunday’s Presidential Elections in Costa Rica Approach on Sunday
COHA revisits its interview of Ottón Solís. Arias – revered by some, but an object of disdain by more than a few. After four years under the leadership of Oscar Arias, Costa Ricans will vote for a new president this Sunday, February 7th. In October 2008, Laura Chinchilla resigned as Vice Presid[...]
January 26th, 2010 - 12:05 pm § in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Free Trade, Front Page, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Obama, Reports, Uncategorized, Venezuela
¿Cambio? The Obama Administration in Latin America: A Disappointing Year in Retrospective
In a memorandum written as Barack Obama assumed office in January 2009, COHA’s Research Fellows Guy Hursthouse and Tomás Ayuso considered the widespread Latin American expectations of a dramatic shift in approach from Washington under the new president, and outlined an agenda for change. This[...]
Carbon Controversies in Costa Rica
Does the Model Central American Country Live Up to its Big Green Reputation, Particularly When It Comes to Climate Control? Everyone needs something to believe in, and for many Latin American progressives, that something for years has been Costa Rica. The country has long been cited as a beacon of p[...]
Michael O’McCarthy interviews Costa Rican Presidential Candidate Ottón Solís
With a constitution lending itself to the development of a complete social democracy and with its notable lack of a standing military force, Costa Rica is unique among Latin American nations. After a very narrow victory over Ottón Solís in 2006, the country has been governed by Óscar Árias of th[...]
Earthquake Exposes Fault Lines In Costa Rican Governance
About six months ago, on January 9, 2009, Costa Rica experienced one of the greatest natural disasters to have ever hit it. The 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck 20 miles north of capital San José caused more than 30 casualties, displaced 2,200, and affected more than 120,000 people in all. In h[...]
China Courts Costa Rica; Expands its Presence in Washington’s Backyard
- Costa Rica severs ties with Taiwan, but will Beijing get its money’s worth? - Beijing inundates Latin America with its diplomatic presence. - Talks in early phases over a bilateral free trade agreement between Costa Rica and China. - China’s signing bonus results in the start of construction o[...]
November 17th, 2008 - 11:05 am § in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Front Page, Honduras, Nicaragua, Press Releases
Dealing with a Bad Deal: Two Years of DR-CAFTA in Central America
Critics argue that for over a decade, the United States has been striving to create commercial inroads into Latin America by way of bilateral free trade agreements that benefit U.S. economic interests to the detriment of those of Latin America. A recent example of this trend was the passage of the D[...]